Two Members of the Royal Family Were with the Queen When She Died
All of her children rushed to her side as quickly as possible.
According to Hello, it has long been tradition for members of the British royal family to pass away at home, surrounded by loved ones. The Queen died today at Balmoral, one of her favorite places—she once called her summer retreat in Scotland “my dear paradise in the highlands.”
Her two eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were already in Scotland today when the Queen’s health worsened. According to the outlet, “after the monarch was placed under medical supervision on Thursday morning, her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne rushed to her bedside.”
Her two younger children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, arrived shortly afterwards with grandson Prince William. Prince Harry is said to have arrived separately to Balmoral—though now a resident of the U.S., both Harry and wife Meghan Markle were already in the U.K. for previously planned charitable engagements. Meghan stayed behind in Windsor and cancelled her previously planned engagement at the WellChild Awards in London tonight. William’s wife Kate Middleton also stayed behind in Windsor, as she spent today overseeing her three children’s first day of school at Lambrook.
Her Majesty spent every August to October at her Aberdeenshire home, “frequently inviting members of her family to join her,” Hello! reports. Balmoral has been in the British royal family since 1852 and is set in the Scottish countryside.
We last saw photos of the Queen earlier this week as she appointed new Prime Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral—a first. Thursday afternoon, Buckingham Palace released a statement that read “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”
Preparations are now in place for Her Majesty’s funeral, which will take place at Westminster Abbey in London, likely sometime within the next 10 days.
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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.