Late Queen’s incredible gesture for young royal children in the final months of her life
The late Queen will be remembered in history books for her incredible 70 year reign. But she was first and foremost a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and in the final 12 months of her life, she made a poignant decision.
The beloved monarch passed away peacefully in her sleep at Balmoral on 8 September 2022 at the age of 96.
The Scottish estate was her favourite residence and she would travel there every year for her summer break, when she would also be joined by her loved ones. It meant the royals could enjoy time together as a family, away from the pressures of the public eye and their official duties.
And according to a family friend, she was aware that the summer of 2022 would be her last. They told royal author Robert Hardman that the late Queen had been suffering from “multiple conditions” in her final year. “She had come to realise that the medical prognosis meant she was not going to emulate her mother and reach 100, so she had been determined to make the most of that [final] year,” they said.
“She made sure she had all the family up over the summer, so that the young ones in particular would always be left with happy memories of her.”
Following her death, Princess Kate released a previously unseen photo taken at that time, showing the Queen sitting on a sofa at Balmoral and surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
