The late Queen Elizabeth II's fears over her death revealed

The late Queen Elizabeth II feared dying at Balmoral castle, as she thought it would make attending her funeral 'difficult'.

Queen Elizabeth II leaves the Goring Hotel after hosting a Christmas lunch for her close members of staff on December 11, 2018
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II sadly passed away on 8 September 2022, which saw King Charles III take over as sovereign. 

The Queen - who was the longest reigning British monarch - passed at her Scottish home at Balmoral Castle last year, which is where the 96-year-old royal spent most of her summers as she had a penchant for the Scottish Highlands.

However, the late Queen was reportedly worried about Balmoral Castle being her resting place for the most selfless reason. It has been reported she feared it would be difficult to arrange her funeral at the estate in Aberdeenshire. 

Princess Anne shared her late mother's concerns around her death, and funeral, in a touching documentary, Charles III: The Coronation Year, which was shown on BBC One on Boxing Day. 


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The Princess Royal, 73, reassured her mother at the time she should do what she wanted to do, and what she felt was right. 

Speaking in the 90-minute documentary, Anne said, "I think there was a moment when she felt that it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral.

"I think we did try to persuade her that shouldn't be part of the decision-making process."

Anne believes it was "serendipity" she was by her mother's side when she died, as she spontaneously popped in on route back from a holiday on Scotland's West Coast to London. 

The late Queen's death and funeral was deeply moving for many, especially her family, though Anne also noted a "sense of relief."

In a touching segment recollecting her late parent's passing, and the moment the Imperial state Crown was removed from the Queen's coffin, Anne noted, "I rather weirdly felt a sense of relief – that's it, finished. That responsibility being moved on."

Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal speaks to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to The Children's Wood Project in Glasgow on June 30, 2021, as part of her traditional trip to Scotland for Holyrood Week.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

There had been fears over the Queen's health prior to her passing, as there were reports surrounding her mobility, she was absent from certain royal engagements, and other working royals began to take a more active role. 

Prior to September 8th, the Queen was visited by 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. Dr Iain Greenshields claimed their last conversation bought the Queen "peace and pleasure", and she had "no regrets".

Speaking previously, he shared: "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."