Intimate details about the Queen’s final moments have come to light in a new Book by royal biographer Robert Hardman
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Queen Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 2, 2022
More than one year after Queen Elizabeth’s death, new details have emerged, casting a revealing light on the circumstances surrounding the iconic monarch’s death.
In an excerpt from royal biographer Robert Hardman’s new book, The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy (out Jan. 18), in Daily Mail on Friday, the author shares a memo of the monarch’s final moments from her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, who was at Balmoral when the Queen died on Sept. 8, 2022.
“Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain,” Young notes in the previously unseen memo that’s now part of the Royal Archives, according to Daily Mail.
The outlet also revealed that while there were concerns for the Queen’s well-being at the time, her death occurred with such abruptness that King Charles (then Prince Charles) found himself hastily boarding a helicopter for an eleventh-hour journey to Balmoral. En route, he read his “London Bridge” notes, a meticulously prepared protocol for the aftermath of her death.
While at Balmoral, Charles and his wife Camilla (now Queen Camilla) spent an hour with the Queen privately at her bedside before she died, according to the book.
Princess Anne, along with Angela Kelly, the Queen’s senior dresser and trusted confidante, took turns by her bedside. The Rev Kenneth MacKenzie, a seasoned minister at the nearby Crathie Kirk, joined them, reading passages to the Queen from the Bible.
Meanwhile, Charles personally reached out to both of his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, urging them to make their way to Scotland to bid their farewells, the outlet reports. During that moment, he still held the belief that the Queen had not mere hours, but rather days, remaining before her passing.
The book also includes the private moment when Charles learned his mother had died — and he was now monarch.
While Charles was out gathering mushrooms to clear his mind after visiting his mother, he received the news of her death while driving back to Balmoral, reports the Daily Mail. His senior aide took a call, prompting Charles to pull over. In that moment, he was addressed as “Your Majesty” for the first time, and in that moment he realized his mother had died.
According to the excerpt, despite numerous attempts, the King tried to personally inform his younger son, Harry, but since he was already airborne, he couldn’t get through to him.
Related: Prince Harry ‘Completely by Himself’ amid Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Exclusive Book Excerpt
Upon the Queen’s passing, the United Kingdom — where she reigned for a record 70 years — mourned. Around the world, including in the other nations that called her the head of state or sovereign, her death was grieved by those to whom she was an unwavering fixture amid the turmoil of ever-changing times.
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The loss was most profound for her large family, including her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
The monarch’s state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey in London on Sept. 19, gathering 2,000 leaders and royals from around the world. The service was followed by a committal service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where she was later buried in a private ceremony beside her husband Prince Philip, her father King George VI, her mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and her sister Princess Margaret.
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