Prince Charles “devastated” by Queen Mum’s death

The Queen Mum celebrating her 101st birtday on August 4, 2001 Keystone

Britain's Prince Charles has cut short his skiing holiday in Klosters after receiving news that his grandmother, the Queen Mother, died on Saturday afternoon.

Clair Southwell, Charles’ spokeswoman in Klosters, said the Prince immediately decided to return to the United Kingdom to be with his family. “Charles is completely devastated,” she said.

The British heir to the throne and his two sons, Princes William and Harry, arrived in Klosters in canton Graubünden for their annual skiing holiday on Thursday night.

Prince Charles is said to have had a very special relationship to his grandmother, affectionately known as the “Queen Mum”, and was reportedly a lot closer to her than to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Shared sadness

Switzerland was also saddened by the news, and Muriel Berset Kohen, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said the country was sharing Britain’s grief.

“We have received the news with sadness because she was a part of the old century. She was beloved by her people and that’s why we share with them this sadness,” Berset Kohen told swissinfo.

Declining health

The mother of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died in her sleep at the age of 101 on Saturday afternoon after a period of declining health, Buckingham Palace said.

“The Queen Mother had become increasingly frail in recent weeks following a bad cough and chest infection over Christmas,” said a palace spokesman.

Her death adds fresh tragedy to a succession of domestic traumas suffered by the royal family in recent years. On February 9, her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, died at the age of 71.

The Queen Mother was queen consort during the Second World War and was the devoted wife of King Geogre VI, who unexpectedly became the monarch after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936.

Most dangerous woman

The Queen Mother, who was born Lady Elizabeth Angel Marguerite Bowes-Lyon on August 4 1900, was once described as the “most dangerous woman in Europe” by Germany’s Adolf Hitler .

Hitler referred to her morale-boosting contribution to the British war effort after she refused to leave London to escape the wartime attacks, called the “Blitz” and visited areas of the city damaged by bombing.

The Queen Mum was seen as Britain’s favourite grandmother, a smiling presence, who was still carrying out public duties into her centenary year.

Her coffin is expected to be moved to the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park on Sunday morning.

swissinfo with agencies