On September 8, when the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced in London at 6:30 p.m., the sovereign had been out of this world for three hours and twenty minutes.
It is what ensures his death certificate, which sets his death at five minutes past three in the afternoon. The document was released Thursday by the National Archives of Scotland, because she died at Balmoral Castle. Her cause of death: “old age”. She was 96 years old and had no known health problems.
But conspiracy theories ran rampant. Some argued that he had not died, that there was no body in the coffin. It was believed that he was resting at Balmoral because it was his favorite palace. Also that she invented her death so as not to have to abdicate and thus remain in history.
Now those relative uncertainties are over. In the death certificate, her death is guaranteed by her daughter, Princess Anne, as required by royal protocol.
Queen Elizabeth II buried after more than a week of ceremonies that paralyzed the United Kingdom
The queen’s four children were at the castle when the announcement was made. Charles, then Prince of Wales and now King Charles III, rushed to the Scottish castle in the morning along with his wife, Camilla, already a queen consort. Ana, known as the royal princess, was already there.
Prince William, the official heir to the throne, arrived at Balmoral in the afternoon along with the Queen’s two other sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, as well as Edward’s wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Prince William and his wife Kate have assumed the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales.
Prince Harry arrived at Balmoral after the announcement was made. He found out from the escort in the car that picked him up at the airport. His wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was not traveling with him.
The United Kingdom bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II with a majestic funeral steeped in tradition that reflected the widespread popularity the sovereign enjoyed during her seven-decade reign.
