In an unexpected sequence of events, Jenna Bush Hager was with the future king before his mother's death.
Hours before Queen Elizabeth's death, future King Charles III was having dinner with none other than Today's Jenna Bush Hager.
As the co-host revealed on the morning show Monday, she was in England to interview now-Queen Consort Camilla last week -- a sit-down that was a year in the making, tied to her and Camilla's joint selection for their book clubs. The night before the interview, Camilla's flight had been delayed, so Hager and her husband, Henry, dined with the then-prince without her.
"It was a lovely meal. He first said, 'My darling wife is so sad' and I just love -- I said to Henry, who was there, I said, 'Will you call me your darling wife from now on?'" she described. "He said, 'She can't wait to sit down with you tomorrow.'"
They did not know that tomorrow would bring the loss of a world-famous monarch -- and mark the end of the longest reign in British history.
"I think it was a surprise," she said of the queen's impending death. "We had a wonderful evening filled with conversation. It felt joyful."
However, by the following afternoon, the mood had quickly shifted. An hour before she was supposed to meet with Camilla ahead of their interview, Hager and her team were asked to be quiet as Charles -- whose office was nearby -- was taking a call. Shortly after, they were told by the couple's teams that the interview had been postponed and that Charles and Camilla had left for Balmoral Castle.
"They said, 'The queen is ill and they have gone and rushed off to be with her,'" Hager remembered.
A source close to the royal family previously told ET that Charles and Camilla were able to see Queen Elizabeth before she died, along with her only daughter, Princess Anne.
Following the announcement of the queen's death, King Charles issued a statement honoring his "beloved mother."
"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world," the statement read. "During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held."
For updates on Queen Elizabeth's death, visit ET's ongoing coverage here.
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