The late Queen Elizabeth II honoured her lifelong pledge of service until her final days.
The cherished monarch passed away at 3.10pm on 8 September 2022, having carried out her royal duties up until the very end.
Just two days prior to her passing, she had appointments with outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor, Liz Truss, at Balmoral, followed by a social gathering that evening.
In his book 'Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story', author Robert Hardman provides insight into the Queen's last moments, noting she appeared "energised" during the pre-dinner drinks. However, an attendee, who was present along with Princess Anne and Peter Philips, recalled to Hardman, "She was quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks," but then decided to dine alone upstairs.
The following day saw the Queen resting in bed, yet she still intended to participate in the Privy Council meeting via video link. Arrangements were made for her to join with audio only if needed from her bedroom.
Nevertheless, just before the meeting was set to commence, it was cancelled due to 'medical advice', as reported at the time. On the evening of 7 September, the then Prince Charles, upon the counsel of Princess Anne and his private secretary, was urged to urgently visit the Queen's bedside, reports the Mirror.
By a stroke of luck, both Charles and Anne were in Scotland at the time, having attended events in the country earlier in the week. This allowed them to spend precious moments with their dear mother before she passed away peacefully.
Charles was informed of the Queen's passing over the phone. He had briefly left her bedside for some fresh air and was out gathering mushrooms when he received the heartbreaking news during his drive back to Balmoral.
His senior aide took the call and Charles pulled over to be addressed as 'Your Majesty' for the first time - indicating that he was now King, according to Hardman. The Queen's official death certificate later revealed 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 begun their journey to Scotland. Unfortunately, they did not make it in time.
They landed at 3:50pm, 40 minutes after her death. With William driving, they reached Balmoral at 5.06pm.
Prince Harry, on the other hand, departed from Luton airport on a private jet around 5.30pm. He was still airborne when the announcement of the queen's death was made at 6.30pm.
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After her death, a footman found a locked red box of documents near the late Queen's deathbed. Inside were two sealed letters: one addressed to her son and successor, now King Charles III, and the other to Sir Edward Young, her loyal 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."
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