[imagesource: PEOPLE]

Queen Elizabeth II waiting in the drawing room at Balmoral up top is the last public picture of her before her passing.

Jane Barlow, the Press Association photographer who snapped the shot, described the late 96-year-old monarch as “frail” but “in good spirits”.

A few days later, at 3:10PM on September 8, the Queen died at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland.

As the United Kingdom and the world come to terms with the loss, her death certificate released to the public sheds some light on the day she passed.

The official document, now made public as an entry in the Scottish registry, stipulates that the Queen died of old age while her close family were still en route to Balmoral.

The Telegraph noted that Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie were made aware that she was gravely ill and promptly flew by RAF plane from Northolt to Aberdeen to be at her bedside.

Prince Charles was at Balmoral at the time, alongside his wife, Camilla. Anne, Princess Royal, was also present and able to be with her “dearest” mother in her final 24 hours.

Anne was named as the ‘informant’ on the document, having notified the local registrar of her mother’s death.

The Queen’s death is now a matter of public record released by the National Records of Scotland, which is the first time that a monarch’s death certificate has been shown in such a way:

That’s Queen Elizabeth’s Death Certificate.
Her Surname was Windsor. pic.twitter.com/BFQdSO6sLq

— Sir Charles MBA (@SirCharlesZA) November 20, 2022

Dr Douglas James Allan Glass, a local GP who held the title of Apothecary to the Queen, was recorded as the certified registered medical practitioner on the document:

Dr Glass, who had looked after the late Queen when she was at her Scottish estate for 34 years, said her death had been “upsetting” but, because of her age, “not unexpected”.

“We have been concerned about the Queen’s health for several months,” he told The Times. “It was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen.”

At 12:34PM, Buckingham Palace confirmed that doctors were concerned for the late Queen’s health, but said that she was “comfortable” under their supervision:

Old age is a commonly listed cause of death for those over 80 when the doctor certifying death had cared for the patient for a long time, was not aware of any disease or injury that contributed to death and had observed a gradual decline in the person’s general health and functioning.

Most of the family was informed timeously, except, it seems, Prince Harry. He is said to have learned of his grandmother’s death around the time that news was made public.

He had apparently read a breaking news alert when his mobile phone came into signal shortly after 6:30PM. His father’s attempts to speak to him personally had apparently failed.

Meanwhile, Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, was told of the Queen’s death at 4:30PM.

[source:telegraph]