Royal biographer calls Queen Elizabeth II’s 5-word diary entry before her death 'factual and practical'
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The final diary entry of the late monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has been revealed in a book by the royal biographer Robert Hardman earlier this year, reported The Mirror US on Tuesday, November 12.
According to the publication, the entry was made by the Queen two days before her death on September 8, 2022. She was 96 years old at the time.
Hardman's book, 'Charles III: New King, New Court: The Inside Story', was published on January 18, and shares the final thoughts of the monarch before her demise.
What was the final diary entry of Queen Elizabeth II?
According to Hardman, the Queen simply wrote five words in her last diary entry, that read, "Edward came to see me." It has been interpreted that she was referring to her last meeting with Sir Edward Young.
As the private secretary to the Queen, Edwards was engaged at the time in assisting the queen with making plans for the swearing-in of the then-newly elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss' cabinet.
The book also provides readers a look into the final moments of the Queen's long and impressive life with her family, including a lively pre-dinner drink she shared the evening before her death.
She was surrounded by her loved ones, including her children, King Charles and Princess Anne in the bedroom at Balmoral Castle before her death. Her physician, Dr GP Douglas Glass, was also present. At the actual time of her death, however, Charles was away collecting mushrooms.
Queen Elizabeth II meticulously maintained handwritten diary
Hardman shared in his book that the Queen, who reigned over the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth regions for 70 years, meticulously kept a handwritten account of her days, even as she became weak with old age.
"It transpires that she was still writing it at Balmoral two days before her death. Her last entry was as factual and practical as ever," wrote the biographer in his book.
The Queen's journal contained factual records of her days instead of emotional narratives, similar to her last entry. She once told society diarist Kenneth Rose about her journaling habit, "I have no time to record conversations, only events."
