Prince Charles kept asking one question over and over again after the death of Princess Diana.

During a previous interview, royal author Ingrid Seward said that the future king couldn’t control his tears after he realized that his ex-wife was already gone. The dad of two’s composure also collapsed.

“In a reversion to the philosophical traditions of his Christian upbringing, [Charles] was to spend the next few days plaintively pondering what wrongs had been committed that could possibly warrant such savage retribution. He kept asking over and over again, ‘What have we done to deserve this?’” Seward said.

The royal expert added that Prince Charles and his sons weren’t the only royals who were devastated after they learned about Princess Diana’s passing. Queen Elizabeth II was also heartbroken over the news.

While speaking with Reader’s Digest, Seward said that Her Majesty was awakened in the early hours of the morning and she met Prince Charles. The initial news that they received from Paris was that the royal was still alive, but her then-boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, was dead.

“Their first concern was to discover how badly injured Diana was. Initially, they were told that she had walked away from the accident virtually unscathed,” she said. But the next phone call that Prince Charles received confirmed that Princess Diana also passed away following the car crash.

Seward said that Her Majesty was shocked with the news because even though some members of the royal family already gave up on the Princess of Wales, she retained some affection towards her former daughter-in-law.

The Queen recognized Princess Diana’s potential even though she was no longer a part of the royal family. She also saw the royal’s sudden demise as a waste. The mom of four was also left wondering what the public wanted her to do about the death of Prince Charles’ ex-wife because they accused her of treating Princess Diana heartlessly.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Prince Charles and Princess Diana are pictured attending a centenary service for the Royal College Of Music on Feb. 28, 1982 at Westminster Abbey, London. Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images