Everlasting love. King Charles III, Prince Harry and more members of the royal family paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II after her death.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the queen’s death on Thursday, September 8, saying in a statement that she “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
News of the sovereign’s passing comes after Elizabeth chose to stay in Scotland to formally appoint Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, instead of returning to Windsor Castle due to “mobility issues.”
Days after the ceremony, Buckingham Palace announced that Her Majesty’s medical team put her under “supervision” amid her declining health. Prince William, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, and Harry all traveled to Balmoral, Scotland, to be with the monarch on September 8.
More than a year before her death, Prince Philip was laid to rest in April 2021 at the age of 99. A source exclusively told Us at the time that the queen, who met Philip when she was just 13 years old in 1939, was “heartbroken” over her husband’s death, whom she wed in 1947.
“Elizabeth has found it cathartic to soak up all the well-wishes and tributes to the man she loved unconditionally for countless decades,” a second insider told Us after Philip’s passing. “Seeing how many lives he touched has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Elizabeth, who was the longest-reigning monarch in U.K. history, mourned her husband’s death for eight days in accordance with tradition but took a pause to briefly return to work on April 13, 2021, to host a retirement ceremony for her former Lord Chamberlain, The Earl Peel. She didn’t step out in public again until the Duke of Edinburgh’s April 17 funeral.
“The queen has been amazing,” daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex told The Sun following Philip’s death. Sophie, 57, also noted that the monarch is “thinking of others before herself.”
Elizabeth — who was crowned queen in 1953 one year after her father King George VI’s untimely death — continued to perform her duties until the end.
“Her emotions are very raw right now, but the queen knows Philip would hate it if she sat around moping for the rest of her years,” a source told Us in April 2021 of the monarch’s intent to continue to serve the public following her 95th birthday. “He would have wanted her to look after herself first and foremost instead and she intends to do her best.”
Her final few years were plagued by drama within the royal family as her grandson Harry and Meghan stepped back from their senior royal duties in March 2020 and relocated to California.
The couple spoke out against The Firm during a CBS tell-all interview in March 2021, which caused an even bigger rift within the family, especially between Harry and his father, 73, and brother, 40.
Through it all, the queen maintained a close relationship with Harry, who she had a “soft spot” for, according to a source, and the rest of her loved ones.
Elizabeth is survived by her four children, Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, her eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Scroll down to see how the royals honored the late queen:
