Elizabeth II enjoyed her final summer at Balmoral Castle before dying “peacefully” at her beloved Scottish retreat Thursday, walking her corgis in the gardens and enjoying time with family. But there’s no question that her once robust health had declined in the past year.
While it’s expected that a 96-year-old woman wouldn’t have the stamina she once had, the queen’s sudden frailty, following the 2021 death of Prince Philip, came as “a shock” to many around her, the Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English reported.
The loss of Philip, the queen’s husband of 73 years and her “rock,” took “a deep emotional toll” on her, English said.
The world will probably never forget the way Elizabeth II had to say good-bye to Philip amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sitting alone, wearing a face mask, apart from family at a scaled-down, socially distanced memorial service at Windsor Castle.
Other family turmoil also caused stress for the queen, English wrote. She was disturbed by the sexual abuse allegations against Prince Andrew, which led her to strip her reportedly favorite son of his military titles. She continued to regard Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as “much-loved” members of the family, but their acrimonious departure from royal life and their criticism of the family also was troubling, English said.
“Her Majesty was always discreet but you can see with your own eyes what a toll it has taken on her emotionally,” a royal insider told English before news of the queen’s death. “It brought her great heartache and has not been an easy time.”
The queen also dealt with a bout with COVID-19 in February. Then triple-vaccinated, she suffered from mild cold-like symptoms and was able to carry on with some light duties while self-isolating at Windsor Castle. She also canceled some virtual meetings and said that the virus left her feeling “very tired and exhausted.”
It is believed that losing Philip — whom Elizabeth first met and fell in love with at age 13 — took the biggest toll on her well-being, according to Daily Mail, which charted the increase in health issues she faced after his death. Through their long marriage, they enjoyed a deep connection that intensified in recent years, and one adviser noted that “she still lights up when he walks into the room,” biographer Sally Beddell Smith, the author of “Elizabeth,” wrote in the Times UK.
The queen wouldn’t be alone in suffering grief that would lead to a physical decline following a partner’s death. It’s been well-documented through numerous studies that a surviving spouse or partner is likely to develop physical health problems in the weeks and months that follow a death, according to an article by Harvard Women’s Health.
Six months after Philip’s death, in October 2021, the first report came that the queen was dealing with “mobility problems,” according to The Daily Mail. These problems would become ongoing and episodic. They also became the main reason cited for why she was increasingly forced to pull out of official events or limit her appearances to video calls.
That month, the queen was was seen using a walking stick for the first time for a public appearance at Westminster Abbey. Her doctors also ordered her to rest for a few days, forcing her to cancel a two-day trip to Northern Ireland. Then, she was secretly admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital on Oct. 20 to undergo “preliminary investigations,” The Daily Mail said. She was discharged the next day and took medical advice to rest some more.
Concerns for the queen’s health grew in November when she pulled out of some more high-profile engagements, including the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow, and the Festival of Remembrance on Nov. 12. She also missed attending the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph on Nov. 1 because of a sprained back.
The queen suffered her bout with COVID-19 in February, and thereafter limited herself to light duties at Windsor Castle. She rallied to attend a memorial service for Philip at Westminster Abbey in March, walking down the aisle, aided by a walking stick and, controversially, the arm of her disgraced son, Andrew.
Unfortunately for the queen, she and the royal family were criticized for allowing Andrew to have such a central role at a high-profile event. Two months earlier, Elizabeth had stripped Andrew of his military titles following news that he had settled a lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who had alleged she was one of the underaged sex trafficking victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew’s friend, and said she was forced to have sex with the prince at the age of 17 in 2001. Even as Andrew settled the lawsuit, he denied any wrongdoing.
Reports said the queen wanted to do everything she could to make sure she was well enough to attend at least some of the events celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in June.
The queen made it to Trooping the Colour, Britain’s annual display of military pageantry, but her mobility issues kept her from riding on horseback to take the salute at the Horse Guards Parade. She left it to Charles, now king, to take the salute, along with Prince William and Princess Anne. She managed to make her final appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to enjoy the military fly-past, standing with her heir, Charles, and his wife, Camilla, and with William and Kate Middleton and their three children.
Unfortunately, the queen suffered from “discomfort” during these celebrations and missed other remaining Platinum Jubilee events, the Daily Mail said.
In July, she traveled to her private Scottish estate to start her traditional summer break. There, her aides had to cancel or alter some of her usual public events to accommodate her health issues, but she enjoyed the fresh air of the Highlands, where she and Philip were always at their happiest, the Daily Mail’s English said. The photo that Elizabeth released after Philip’s death showed them on a picnic there.
This is one of my favorite photos of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip – Balmoral 2003. #QueenElizabeth pic.twitter.com/NNSxoVF3Hg
— Agatha Raisin (@TheAgathaRaisin) September 8, 2022
Ever devoted to her duty as monarch, the queen performed perhaps her most important responsibility the day before she died, receiving outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson at Balmoral before greeting Liz Truss and asking her to form a government and become prime minister.
Jane Barlow, a Press Association photographer who was sent to capture images of Elizabeth’s meeting with Truss, also captured a final poignant image of the queen on her own, Sky TV reported. That photo has become immediately iconic.
Barlow said the queen “certainly did look more frail” than when she was photographed earlier in the summer, but she also said the queen “greeted her with a big smile,” seemed to be “in good spirits” and chatted amiably about the weather.
This is one of the last photos of Queen Elizabeth II, taken on Tuesday before she officially invited Liz Truss to become Prime Minister and form a new government.
(Credit: Jane/Barlow/Pool Photo via AP) pic.twitter.com/slTlSlfBqE
— WQAD (@wqad) September 8, 2022