Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and the late queen left a lasting impact on the monarchy and global affairs. Although Her Majesty was believed to have passed away from "old age," a new biography claims Elizabeth wrote two letters before taking her last breath.
“It was the last one that had gone up to the Queen before her death,” Hardman wrote in The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy. “Like all red boxes, it had just two keys, one for the monarch and the other for her duty private secretary.”
The note remained private, but the writer viewed it as a sign that Elizabeth was aware of her fate.
“We will probably never know what they said. However, it is clear enough that the Queen had known that the end was imminent and had planned accordingly. Were they final instructions or final farewells? Or both?” Hardman said. “Elizabeth II had been completing her own last pieces of unfinished business.”
Elizabeth had a reputation for being stern, and in her final moments, she prioritized her duties and the institution she dedicated her life to.
“The Queen had always taken it extremely seriously,” Hardman continued. “The paperwork had gone up to her two days before so that she could go through the notes and tick her choices."
"Here it was, completed and returned for Sir Edward to make the necessary arrangements. It was the last document ever handled by Queen Elizabeth II," the royal expert added. "Even on her deathbed, there had been work to do. And she had done it."
OK! previously reported Hardman revealed Her Majesty's final hours were "peaceful,” as she was surrounded by love.
On the evening of September 6, 2022, "she was quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks and talking about various prime ministers she had known," according to the royalist.
"But then she said she was going upstairs and would have dinner alone," he continued. "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 editor stated.
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Elizabeth was looking forward to diplomatic meetings, but things quickly changed.
"The following morning, September 7, the Queen's health deteriorated," Hardman explained, noting that Princess Anne was at the Queen's Scottish residence at the time.
''It was purely serendipity that I was there," Anne was quoted saying. "I'd been two days up on the West Coast, and I was coming back, stayed the night, and was going south."
