The Queen dedicated her whole life to service, and reigned for more than 70 years on the throne. But tragically she was unable to carry out her very last royal engagement before she passed away.
In his book, Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story’, Robert Hardman examined the final days of the monarch’s life – and the reason she was forced to cancel her final duty. Her Majesty passed away at 3.10pm on 8 September 2022. Just two days before, she met the departing prime minister, Boris Johnson , and his replacement, Liz Truss at Balmoral before attending a drinks party that same evening.
“She was quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks,” one person in attendance at the 6 September gathering, also attended by Princess Anne and Peter Philips, told the author. “But then she said she was going upstairs to have dinner alone.” The Queen then spent the following day in bed, but still wished to appear at that evening’s Privy Council meeting over video. As such, provisions were put in place so she could be audio-only if she stayed in her bedroom.
Sadly, moments before the meeting was due to start, the Queen made the difficult decision to cancel on the grounds of ‘medical advice’, as her health started to fail. That evening, on 7 September, Charles was advised by Anne and his private secretary to make his way to the Queen’s bedside as quickly as possible.
Both Charles and his sister Anne were in Scotland at the time, having carried out events in the country earlier in the week. It meant that they were able to spend time with their beloved mother before she peacefully passed away.
Heir-to-the-throne Charles was informed of the Queen’s death via telephone. He had briefly stepped away from her bedside to clear his head and had gone out to gather mushrooms. He received the news that she had died as he was driving back to Balmoral when his most senior aide took a call. Charles pulled over and was addressed for the first time as ‘Your Majesty’ – signalling he was now King, Hardman wrote.
It would later transpire in the Queen’s official death certificate that she had passed away at 3:10pm on 8 September. Buckingham Palace announced at 12.50pm that Prince William , Prince Andrew , Prince Edward and Sophie had started to make their way to Scotland at 12:50. Sadly, they were not in time.
They landed at 3:50pm, 40 minutes after her death. With William at the wheel, they drove to Balmoral, arriving at 5.06pm. Prince Harry , meanwhile, left Luton airport onboard a private jet at about 5.30pm. He was still in the air when the announcement of the queen’s death was made at 6.30pm.
Following her passing, a footman discovered a locked red box of paperwork at the late Queen’s deathbed. When it was opened, staff discovered two sealed letters: one to her son and heir, now King Charles III, and the other to Sir Edward Young , her devoted private secretary. “While their contents are unlikely ever to be made public, the existence of the letters shows that Elizabeth, 96, quietly recognised her time on this earth was at an end.”
