Queen Elizabeth II dies: How her final week unfolded
True to form, Her Majesty continued to serve her country right up until the end. Here’s what happened during her action-packed final days.
World
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All had seemed well on Tuesday, when the Queen was photographed undertaking what would be her last photo-call and official duties in Balmoral Castle.
The 96-year-old monarch was meeting Britain’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, to formally ask her to form a new administration. After that meeting, Truss became the Queen’s 15th Prime Minister, but the relationship would not prove a long one, as the Queen took ill and passed away two days later.
At least Truss could never earn the description Britain’s first female PM got from the Queen, who said of Margaret Thatcher, “She stays too long and talks too much.”
Indeed Truss, hardly got the opportunity to say anything, but on return to London, was tasked with the surprise job of making a statement about the loss of the woman she had just met.
The Queen was photographed with Truss, looking happy and in good spirits.
She sported her royal tweed skirt, grey blouse and cardigan and carried her ubiquitous handbag, as well as her walking stick. The only sign of her ailing health, was a large bruise on her right hand.
Speculation abounds about whether the bruise on the Queen’s hand holds any clues to the cause of her passing.
Doctors said the bruise could be related to the use of a cannula, a thin tube inserted into the vein to take blood samples or deliver medical treatment intravenously.
Alternatively, if a patient is using blood thinning medication, tiny bumps or injuries can cause nasty bruises to appear on the skin of elderly people.
The following day, on Wednesday, the Queen was scheduled to attend a virtual Privy Council meeting, in Balmoral, to discuss business. But, seemingly tired from her day before, she was forced to cancel the meeting and rest.
“After a full day yesterday, Her Majesty has this afternoon accepted doctors’ advice to rest,” a Palace spokesperson said at the time.
“This means that the Privy Council meeting that had been due to take place this evening will be rearranged.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, she released a statement to the Canadian people, offering her condolences after a stabbing massacre, writing, “I would like to extend my condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the attacks that occurred this past weekend in Saskatchewan.
“My thoughts and prayers are with those recovering from injuries and grieving such horrific losses. I mourn with all Canadians at this tragic time.”
That message, would be the final one she made – fittingly, offering solace in a time of crisis, something she had built her entire reign upon doing.
It was also another sign the monarch herself was business as usual and not aware her working hours were drawing to their final close.
Just one day later, the Canadian Prime Minister would be releasing a statement of his own, mourning the loss of the Queen.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of … Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” said Justin Trudeau on Thursday.
“A page has not only been turned, but a chapter in our shared history has drawn to a close.”
Clearly, nobody, not least the Queen herself, was aware how critical her condition was and it was thought a period of rest would soon see her restored enough to conduct the re-arranged meeting.
This, of course, was not the case and the Queen’s health began to deteriorate rapidly.
By Thursday morning (local time), her team of doctors confirmed how serious her situation was and at 12.30pm, Buckingham Palace put out a statement saying the Queen was under the care of her doctors at her Scottish holiday home.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” the Palace said.
“The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”
Royal correspondents were aware Buckingham Palace does not normally comment on the Queen’s health and so it was understood the situation was critical.
At this point, her family was called and began to mobilise to the Scottish castle.
Charles, now King Charles III, was already in Scotland, so took a helicopter to Balmoral, with Camilla, now Queen Consort. Princess Anne was already at Balmoral.
Prince William, who is now the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, took an RAF plane to Aberdeen, along with Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge remained in Windsor, where she welcomed her three children home from their first day at their new school, the family having relocated to Windsor over the summer.
William and Catherine had been photographed accompanying Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to Lambrook School earlier on Thursday, their joyful morning turning to sadness by mid-day.
William then drove Andrew, Edward and Sophie to Balmoral, arriving just after 5pm, unfortunately too late to say goodbye as by this time, the news of the Queen’s death had been announced to the family.
Prince Harry, meanwhile, was coincidentally in the UK, undertaking events including launching the countdown to the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf and he, with Meghan, had been scheduled to make a speech at the WellChild Awards on Thursday evening.
He cancelled his appearance, flew to Scotland and was photographed making his way up to Balmoral later. He arrived just before 8pm. Meghan remained in London.
At 6.30pm, Buckingham Palace put out the statement nobody ever wanted to hear.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” it read.
“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Half an hour later, at 7pm, Charles released his own statement, saying, “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all my members of my family,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
That mourning period will only have the briefest of time in private, however.
It began with Charles, as head of the family, ensconced in Balmoral, once again grieving with his family over the sudden loss of a family member. It was in Balmoral where the family received the devastating news almost exactly 25 years ago, that Diana, Princess of Wales had died and the Queen and Prince Philip rallied around the young princes as they came to terms with the shock loss.
This time, while nobody was expecting it of the Queen, it was more inevitable, given her age and record-breaking reign and it is hoped the family – including troubled Andrew and Harry – will come together in this special family place, away from the cameras and the public, where they can, for a short time, put their problems aside and mourn as one, united in grief.
It also marks the beginning of a 10-day period of mourning, before the Queen receives a State Funeral in London.
On her 21st birthday, Her Majesty pledged to give her life to the crown, and she did just that.
“My whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service,” she said.
It turned out to be a long life – longer than the Queen could have envisaged and a longer reign than any other British monarch and like her pledge, she worked right up until the end of it.
The sudden and sharp decline of the Queen meant that the end, when it came, so surprisingly, was while she was in her much-loved Scottish holiday home. The Queen adored her time at Balmoral every summer and it was a place full of happy memories for the monarch.
The estate, which was bought by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852, was where, in 1946, Prince Philip proposed to the then Princess Elizabeth after a happy summer with the Royal Family.
The joyful news was delayed being made public until the following year, when Elizabeth turned 21. And after Philip’s death in 2021, the Queen released a cherished snap of the couple in Balmoral, relaxing on a picnic blanket.
It was said the Queen could truly relax in the 72,000-acre Aberdeenshire estate.
In 2016, Princess Eugenie said “Granny is most happy there” and insiders reveal the Queen called the estate the place she could go for “the big rest.”
Which is ultimately, what she did.
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