The final diary entry of Queen Elizabeth II, penned just two days before her passing, has come to light. Throughout her historic 70-year reign, the cherished monarch, who passed away in September 2022 at the age of 96, maintained a private diary to document significant events in her life. This practice continued until her last days.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman stumbled upon Her Late Majesty's handwritten entries while working on updated chapters for his book about King Charles. According to Hardman, the late queen's final entry was made at Balmoral, the place of her death on September 8, just two days after her meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss, who had recently assumed the role.
In her diary, Queen Elizabeth noted that her private secretary, Edward Young, had visited her. She also recorded details about the swearing-in of new Privy Council members. Hardman noted, "It transpires that she was still writing it at Balmoral two days before her death. Her last entry was as factual and practical as ever."
The late queen's journal primarily documented her activities rather than her thoughts and feelings, according to Hardman. Elizabeth once famously told society diarist Kenneth Rose, "I have no time to record conversations, only events."
Queen Elizabeth was not the only monarch to keep a handwritten journal during her lengthy reign. Queen Victoria, who died in 1901, wrote over 60 million words in various diaries she kept for nearly 70 years. Elizabeth drew inspiration from her father, King George V, who also kept a diary during his life. Additionally, King Charles has continued this tradition, though a senior courtier notes that while he "doesn't write great narrative diaries like he used to," he does "scribble down his recollections and reflections" of the day.
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