Queen Elizabeth II’s last engagement, dating back to a year ago, was of enormous political and historical importance. On 6 September 2022, the Queen invited the then Prime Minister-elect to Balmoral, her beloved estate in Aberdeenshire. It was there, in her Majesty’s cozy drawing room, that Truss formally became British Prime Minister.
Earlier in the day, the Queen had received Boris Johnson, who had traveled to Scotland from Downing Street to formally tender his resignation: «MP Boris Johnson had an audience with the Queen this morning and has tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which Her Majesty was kindly pleased to accept”, read a statement issued the same day.
Then came the news of the audience granted to Truss herself: «The Queen today received the Honorable Elizabeth Truss MP in audience and asked her to form a new administration. Mrs Truss accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed her hand on her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury” (the reference to “kissing” is not literal, but rather indicates the official handshake which takes place between the monarch and the new prime minister).
The appointment of a new Prime Minister always makes headlines, both in Britain and around the world. But no one could have predicted how important the meeting between the Queen and Truss (or “Liz and Liz”) would become. Photos of the monarch welcoming Truss into her Scottish home became the last official image of her Majesty still alive.
The images are exciting. As well as immortalizing the appointment of a new Prime Minister (who would resign just 45 days later), they show us the Queen in a light she has rarely seen before. Dressed in a cardigan and tartan skirt, with a walking stick in hand, the Queen, then 96, looked a little more human than usual. Even (some whispered) a little fragile.
The public didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes. It seemed the Queen needed an extraordinary amount of strength, dignity and royal fortitude (the same qualities that had endeared her to her throughout her record-breaking reign) to carry out her duties. her last official engagements. Just two days later, the Queen passed away.
On 8 September 2023, the Royal Family celebrated the anniversary of Her Majesty’s death. King Charles III, following his mother’s example, spent the day in private (the late Queen used to observe the anniversary of her father King George VI’s death at Sandringham). The King has remained, rightly, at Balmoral, where he resides. The Prince and Princess of Wales were the ones to publicly lead the royal remembrance.
While it’s hard to believe that a year has passed since Queen Elizabeth II’s death, her last photos are worth cherishing: they show Her Majesty smiling, at home, surrounded by personal photographs and family heirlooms. Most of all, they portray her doing her duty, which is definitely how she would like to be remembered.
Source: Vanity Fair
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