Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after what appeared to be a deterioration in her health, so quickly that two of her sons and grandson William were apparently unable to reach her bed in time.
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It was 12:32pm in London when the first statement from Buckingham Palace, terse but troubling, informed the world of the Queen’s doctors, who were “worried” about his health.
The British press reported on Friday that those closest to the Queen had been expecting the worst for several hours. The king had to cancel a video meeting the night before, and as of 9am, “the doctors knew she had only a few hours left to live,” he asserts. SunWhen daily Mail It evokes a “turn for the worse early Thursday morning.”
Urgently organizes his relatives to go to the Scottish Highlands. First, the heir Charles and his wife Camilla, who, according to the press, left Dumfries House in southern Scotland at the end of the morning by board the royal helicopter. At Balmoral, they meet again with Charles’ sister, Anne.
We do not know the exact time of the Queen’s death, which occurred in the “afternoon”, according to Buckingham. Prime Minister Liz Truss, officially appointed by the King at Balmoral on Tuesday, was informed about 4:30 p.m. local time, according to her services, two hours before the official announcement.
If Charles and Anne were therefore likely to be able to attend the King’s final moments, that may not have been the case for her two other sons, Andrew and Edward, and Prince William. They arrived in Scotland on a Royal Air Force plane, and did not pass the castle gates, their faces closed, until after five o’clock in the evening.
Prince Harry, at odds with the royal family, arrives later, alone, when the news is already spreading around the world. It will also depart separately on Friday morning on a British scheduled flight.
Barely six hours separated the first press release from the palace from the official announcement of the death of Elizabeth II, the causes of which were not disclosed.
The health of the 96-year-old has been visibly deteriorating for several months, particularly since the death of her husband Philip in April 2021. She had spent a night in the hospital last October for tests, the nature of which had not been communicated before. The palace has since spoken out about “mobility problems”.
In the latest photos of Elizabeth II at Balmoral, taken on Tuesday, the appearance of her right hand, bluish, has raised questions. She appeared there smiling, erect, but weaker than ever.
