Queen Elizabeth II seemed to be energised and was in particularly good spirits for a sweet reason just two days before she died, a new royal book has claimed.
Biography Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman brings a plethora of details about Charles’s accession into the spotlight but also about the late Queen Elizabeth’s last moments leading up to her death.
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died on September 8 2022 at the age of 96, plunging the whole nation into mourning after reigning for 70 years.
In the book, Hardman writes about how Elizabeth had one “last moment of joy” just two days before she passed away.
During the summer of 2022, when Boris Johnson resigned, the late monarch, who was already at Balmoral, was determined to preside over the resignation of one prime minister and the appointment of another in London.
But as her health was declining, in late August, she and her doctors, decided it would be best if she stayed in Scotland.
And then came her now-historic last public pictures of her beaming while waving goodbye to Boris Johnson and appointing Liz Truss to be the new Prime Minister on September 6.
Mr Johnson said at the time: “Given how ill she obviously was, how amazing it was that she be so bright and focused.”
Ms Truss added: “Although she was physically quite frail, she was absolutely mentally alert.”
Now Hardman revealed that the late monarch was quite “energetic” on the day, especially since one of her horses had won the races.
He writes: “Back at Balmoral, staff recall that the Queen had seemed energized after the day’s events, all the more so given that Love Affairs had triumphed at Goodwood.
“‘She was quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks and talking about various prime ministers she had known,’ says one of the party. But then she said she was going upstairs and would have dinner alone.’
“It was the last time most of her immediate household would see her. Even in familiar surroundings, the exertions of this, her most fundamental constitutional duty, had taken a greater toll than anyone had imagined.”
The following morning, Elizabeth’s health had deteriorated.
Meanwhile, a historic memo, kept confidential until now, revealed the Queen’s final moments were painless as she “slipped away” in her sleep and “wasn’t aware of anything”.
The Queen’s most senior staff member Sir Edward Young has described the moment of her death in a poignant memo for posterity, which is now lodged in the Royal Archives.
It reads: “Dougie [Glass] in at 3.25. Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. Death has to be registered in Scotland. Agree 3.10pm. She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain.”
