Before Queen Elizabeth passed away on September 8, 2022, she wrote two personal letters—one for her son, King Charles, and another for her top aide. In a story from royal biographer Robert Hardman’s upcoming book, The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, it was revealed that after the Queen’s death, her staff found these letters.
Robert Hardman reveals that Queen Elizabeth wrote two personal letters before death
Following the Queen’s passing at Balmoral Castle, senior staff, led by the monarch’s private secretary Sir Edward Young, were planning for the days ahead when a footman brought them the Queen’s famous red box. Robert Hardman wrote in the excerpt, “It was the last one that had gone up to the Queen before her death,” he added, “Like all red boxes, it had just two keys, one for the monarch and the other for her duty private secretary.”
The last red box received by the Queen before her death had two keys—one for the monarch and the other for her duty private secretary. Sir Edward Young discovered a sealed letter to Prince Charles and a private letter to himself inside the box. The contents of these letters remain unknown, but it’s evident the Queen had prepared for her impending end, leaving behind possibly final instructions or farewells.
Hardman writes, “We will probably never know what they said. However, it is clear enough that the Queen had known that the end was imminent and had planned accordingly. Were they final instructions or final farewells? Or both?” he continued “Elizabeth II had been completing her own last pieces of unfinished business.”
Queen Elizabeth had also finalized her list of candidates to join the Order of Merit
Alongside the letters, the Queen had also finalized her list of candidates to join the Order of Merit, her last royal duty. She took this responsibility seriously, going through the notes and making her choices. The paperwork was completed and returned for Sir Edward to arrange, making it the last document handled by Queen Elizabeth II. Even in her final moments, the Queen attended to her duties, ensuring everything was in order.
