A cleric who was with Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral during the last days of her life has revealed the late monarch had 'no regrets' in life and 'was at peace' in the days before her death.
- Queen Elizabeth 'was at peace' in the days before her death, a cleric who was with the monarch at the time has revealed.
- The cleric spoke with the Queen about her faith, her reign, and her family, sharing that it's 'very common when people are dying' for them 'to reflect' on such things.
- In other royal news, Princess Margaret told off by Queen Elizabeth for leaving childhood friend ‘terrified’ by royal rumour.
September 8th will mark the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death. The monarch passed away at Balmoral Castle at the age of 96.
Much has changed since then. King Charles was crowned King Charles III at his Coronation and many aspects of everyday life have been affected by small changes such as those of the national anthem, banknotes and coins. But, especially as royals mark the first anniversary of her death the late Queen still remains very much in the public consciousness.
To soften the bittersweet memories of the late monarch, royal fans can now rest in the fact that the Queen 'was at peace' in her final days as a cleric who spent that time with her at Balmoral has now revealed she had 'no regrets' as she reminisced on her life and reign with him.
The Right Reverend, Dr Iain Greenshields, who was, at the time of the Queen's death, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, spent time at Balmoral Castle last summer and spoke with the Queen about her life in the run-up to her passing.
He told the Daily Mail that while the Queen seemed 'frail,' he found her mind to be 'sharp and contemplative' as she spoke to him about her faith and recalled the wonderful year she had had celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.
He said, "It would be normal for a Moderator to talk about matters of faith but I was very interested in how much she wanted to talk about her own. It was her Platinum Jubilee year and so she was looking back. She had a remarkable recall. She had no regrets and was very much at peace."
"She also mentioned her father - George VI - and the great influence his faith had on her."
The comments about her father made the Moderator reflect on his own mother's passing and led him to a conclusion about how all people handle their family relationships in the days leading up to their death.
He contemplated, "I do wonder if people, even subconsciously, are getting ready for the end. It’s also very common when people are dying to reflect on their parents, as the Queen did."
He also mentioned how the Queen was happy to be at Balmoral in her final days, a place that has long been cited as her favourite place to be. He said, "At one point in our conversations she went to the window and said 'who would not want to be here?' She was in a very peaceful, private place. She was at peace."
However, there was one secret that the Queen kept close to her chest and did not reveal to the Moderator about her faith, something that will now likely be a mystery forever.
He shared, "She also mentioned an American religious leader who had a big impact on her and although she didn’t mention his name - and I didn’t interrupt to ask. I did wonder if it was Billy Graham, whom she met."
The pair's meeting was recreated in season one of Netflix's The Crown with the show's historical consultant telling PEOPLE at the time of filming, “She was close to the Rev. Billy Graham in his prime, inviting him to preach at Windsor whenever he was in Britain, and meeting up with him when she visited the States. He helped her with a Christmas broadcast in the ‘90s.”
Billy Graham has been cited as being 'among the most influential Christian leaders' of the 20th century. He was also known for his friendships with many US presidents so it would not be too far of a stretch to believe he had some influence over Queen Elizabeth's faith. But while we can speculate, we'll likely never know who she was talking about.
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