King Charles 'bittersweet' moment in royal life revealed

For decades, the now-King Charles prepared for the moment to wear the crown. 

But at the time, he had to step into the role; the current monarch had to go through a tough patch: the death of Queen Elizabeth II, his mother.

Several royal experts in the new Channel 5 documentary Birkhall: The King’s Secret Sanctuary reflected on the time when Queen Elizabeth II, who was ruling for 70 years, was fighting for her life at Balmoral, and his oldest son was with her at her bedside.

"He was told that it would probably be a few hours before she passed away," an ex-BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said.

Given there were a few hours left in the Queen's life, Charles, Prince of Wales at the time, and his sister Princess Anne were at their mother's bedside.

"Charles and Anne had been taking it in turns to sit with the Queen and then, I think, as she slipped into a coma, ” journalist Emily Andrews revealed in the film.

Amid this situation, the now-76-year-old went out for fresh air to his nearby residence at Birkhall for a few time, where he received the phone call.

"Charles needed a bit of fresh air and some nature. So he went to the grounds of Birkhall, and it was there that he took the call," the reporter revealed.

"He knew what had happened," Jennie shared. "Because he was addressed by the person who rang him, the courtier, as 'Your Majesty' and then he knew, 'Well, my mother has died' and obviously he raced back to Balmoral to be at her side."

Queen Elizabeth was 96 at the time of her passing. Despite the heart-aching moment, Emily claimed there was relief in some members of the royal family that the late monarch spent her last days at Balmoral.