Heartbreaking last images of the Queen fulfilling final duties before she died

07 September 2023 , 16:18

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The photos depict Queen Elizabeth II in the green Drawing Room at Balmoral (Image: PA)

Poignant final images of the late Queen show her welcoming newly elected Conservative leader Liz Truss to Balmoral - a mere 48 hours before she died.

The photos depict Queen Elizabeth II in the green Drawing Room at her Scottish residence exactly 12 months ago. On this day in 2022 she stood smiling at the camera and clutching a walking stick. Ms Truss then entered and was warmly greeted by the monarch.

It was just two days after these moving photographs were taken that Buckingham Palace announced the Queen's health had declined. The nation went into mourning a few hours later when the death of the country's longest serving monarch was announced and its second Elizabethan age came to an end.

The Queen appeared relaxed and happy during the meeting. She wore a blouse, cardigan and a skirt of Balmoral tartan, paired with patent flat shoes. When the photos were released, some commented on how frail the 96-year-old looked. Her hand appeared bruised and she had not been photographed for a number of months.

The monarch met Prime Minister Liz Truss (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

But 12 months on it is the images of a smiling Queen that endure. Many people have commented on Twitter about the throwback pictures and saluted her commitment to serving the country to the very last.

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One person wrote: "Such a brave strong Queen, still missed." Another said: "What a wonderful lady she was. I miss her so much." A third wrote: "How sad. Who would have thought she would pass away two days later. QE was a wonderful woman," reports the Express.

Ms Truss began her job as Prime Minister on September 6 when she accepted an invitation from the Queen to form a Government. The Queen's health was the reason that her historic meeting with Ms Truss, who lasted just 44 days in office - changed venue to her Aberdeenshire home. Typically the sovereign meets a new prime minister at Buckingham Palace.

Just before Ms Truss's arrival, she commented on the dark skies above her Scottish home. The weather had delayed the new PMs journey north by about 10 minutes.

Ms Truss was the Queen's 15th prime minister during her 70-year reign. The meeting lasted just over 30 minutes. On September 9 the duty of making a speech to the nation about Queen Elizabeth II's death fell to Ms Truss outside Downing Street.

She said: "Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. "Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her."

Emily Ferguson