The late Queen remained committed to her life of service right until the very end. Just two days before she passed away, she carried out what would be the final royal duty of her 70-year reign.

On 6 September 2022, Her Majesty met the departing prime minister, Boris Johnson, and his replacement, Liz Truss at Balmoral. She had initially intended to travel from Scotland to London for the meetings, but her frailty meant this was not possible. Instead, the monarch was pictured in the Drawing Room at Balmoral on 6 September, beaming as she waited to greet the politicians.

According to royal author Robert Hardman, the logistics of the meetings with Mr Johnson and Ms Truss were planned by her private secretary Sir Edward Young, Palace doctors and the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, who timed it so that the Queen would meet with both in the same hour at lunchtime. Mr Johnson later said of the meeting: “Given how ill she obviously was, how amazing it was that she be so bright and focused.” Ms Truss further noted: “She stood up to greet me. She was clearly physically not very well but we talked for about 20 minutes. She was alert.”

Hardman revealed in his book, Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story, that following the meeting, the Queen tuned in to watch her horse, Love Affairs, win at Goodwood Racecourse in West Sussex at 3.05pm later that afternoon. Despite the fact it has been a busy day for the 96-year-old monarch, she was in good spirits, and described as being ‘quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks’. But she decided to have dinner alone and went upstairs.

On the morning of September 7, her health sadly took a turn for the worse. The Queen spent the day in bed, but in an act of dedication to her duty, still wished to appear at that evening’s Privy Council meeting over video. As such, provisions were put in place so she could be audio-only if she stayed in her bedroom.

However, moments before the meeting was due to begin, the Queen had to cancel on the grounds of ‘medical advice’, as was reported at the time. Penny Mordaunt, who had been appointed as Lord President of the Council, said of her commitment: “For me, that was testament to the depth of [the Queen’s] devotion to her duty and us: the day before she passed, she was still trying to fulfil her ­obligations as sovereign, which I find incredible.”

Her Majesty passed away at 3:10pm on 8 September. Following her passing, a footman discovered a locked red box of paperwork by her bedside. When it was opened, staff discovered two sealed letters: one to her son and heir, now King Charles III, and the other to Sir Edward Young , her devoted 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.”