Queen Elizabeth died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon (8/9/2022), a brief bulletin was published from the Palace said.
The announcement did not specify a cause.
Earlier Thursday, Buckingham Palace said that the queen had been placed under medical supervision and that her doctors were “concerned” about her health. She had remained at Balmoral for much of the summer. On Wednesday evening, she abruptly canceled a virtual meeting with members of her Privy Council after her doctors advised her to rest.
A day earlier, she met with the incoming Conservative prime minister, Liz Truss — the 15th prime minister the queen dealt with during her reign — though in doing so, because of infirmity, she broke with longstanding tradition by receiving her at Balmoral rather than at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II was 96 this year. Until last year, she surprised many by re-emerging as a spry presence in public life, entertaining world leaders at a summit meeting in Cornwall in June 2021 and playing host to Bill Gates and other businesspeople at Windsor Castle after a climate-change investment conference.
Still, the hectic schedule took a toll. Elizabeth was photographed using a walking stick, a rare concession to her stiff knees. She was kept overnight in a London hospital in October 2021 after what aides said was an episode of exhaustion. Few doubted the effect of the loss of Philip, who had been a stabilizing force in the family.
Queen Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19 in February, despite receiving her first vaccine dose in January 2021, and is “believed” to have had all her follow-up shots after that.
Shortly afterward, the palace issued a statement explaining that the queen “is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week,”
She has taken to walking with the help of a stick and was also seen earlier this year at the Chelsea Flower Show touring the site in a motorised buggy.
In February she was laid low by a bout of Covid, which she admitted afterwards had left her “exhausted”.
Officially, the palace has said only that the queen has been suffering from “episodic mobility problems” but given no further details.
She spent an unscheduled night in hospital in central London in October 2021 and was advised to slow down.
She has pulled out of ceremonial engagements, delegating more to Charles, including the State Opening of Parliament and the Trooping the Colour military parade to mark her official birthday.
Following her appearance on Tuesday when she appointed Liz Truss the new British prime minister, “concerns swirled about the queen’s health,” reported Today.
This was because she couldn’t travel to London for the ceremony, which is a break from tradition, and photos of the event show she used her cane indoors, and her hand was obviously purple. One photograph of the queen greeting Truss at Balmoral on Tuesday had already sparked alarm, showing a deep purple bruise on the monarch’s right hand.
NBC News medical correspondents Dr. Natalie Azar and Dr. John Torres speculated that this discoloration might be the result of recently getting her blood drawn or having an IV needle placed in her hand, either of which could lead to bruising in older people, reported Today.
Queen Elizabeth was 96. So, the Queen died because of old age for sure.
