A jet carrying the Prince of Wales and Princes William and Harry touched down at RAF Northolt at lunchtime today as they made their way to Windsor to join other members of the Royal Family after the death of the Queen Mother.

The three Princes travelled to London together on the same BAe 146 aircraft with the special permission of the Queen.

They had left Klosters in Switzerland to fly home early from their skiing holiday.

Earlier, they drove out of the Walserhof Hotel's basement car park and set off on the two-hour drive to Zurich airport.

Charles, who paid a TV tribute to Princess Margaret when she died earlier this year, was not expected to speak publicly about his grandmother's death until returning

to the UK, and is not likely to say anything today.

The three princes, travelling in the same blue Audi estate car, were all wearing dark suits. Charles - said to be "completely devastated" by his grandmother's death - waved politely to hotel staff from the front passenger seat as they pulled on to the road.

William and Harry sat in the back, while royal aides and bodyguards, and the luggage, were in two grey VW people carriers behind.

Normally it is forbidden under royal protocol for the heir to the throne and his eldest son, William, 19, to fly on the same plane.

Once at RAF Northolt, in west London, they were travelling straight on to Windsor Castle.

The flight brought a sombre and premature end to their annual skiing holiday after two days on the slopes above the Swiss town, Charles's favourite resort.

The Prince and his sons had intended to go to an Easter Sunday service at the stone-built 15th century Klosters Evangelical Church today before heading for the slopes.

They were informed of the Queen Mother's death last night at the end of a full day's skiing.

The Prince of Wales had just returned to the Walserhof Hotel when he was telephoned by the Queen at about 3.30pm UK time, 15 minutes after her 101-year-old mother passed away in her sleep.

Charles broke the news to his sons in his hotel room when they returned from the Parsenn slopes, just above Klosters, about half an hour later.

The boys spent the evening comforting their father.

They snacked rather than eating an evening meal and Charles was said to have eventually managed a restful night.

He last saw his grandmother on Thursday morning when he dropped by at Windsor to check how she was before flying to Switzerland.

Though frail, her condition was said to have given no indication that he would never see her alive again.

The princes' second day of skiing ended with the Prince of Wales returning to his hotel while his sons squeezed in one more run by catching the last cable car back up the mountain.

They were in high spirits, racing each other and joking with friends including Harry Legge-Bourke, 29, younger brother of their former nanny Tiggy.

Clair Southwell, a friend of the Prince of Wales who was with the boys at the end of their last run, said: "They had had a wonderful day, but were completely exhausted.

"It was lovely snow and warm weather and they had not wanted to stop. It had been a great day.

"When I spoke to William he was exhausted and tired but was in really good spirits."

They were given the bad news about 10 minutes later.