Queen Elizabeth II: What was in her last diary entry

Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) kept a meticulous diary until shortly before her death on September 8, 2022. Almost every evening during her 70-year reign, she recorded the day’s events. However, there are probably not many emotions to be found in the documents: her diary is said to have been a record of the events of her busy everyday life. She also kept her last entry correspondingly simple.

On September 6th, two days before her death, she is said to have written her last note in her diary, as Robert Hardman revealed in his biography “Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story”, published on November 7th .

The British nobility expert revealed: “Her final entry was as matter-of-fact and practical as ever. It could have described another normal working day, starting in the usual way – ‘Edward came to see me’ – as she noted the arrangements, which her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, had met for the swearing-in of the new ministers of the Truss government”. Because on September 6, 2022, she welcomed Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister at Balmoral. It was her last public appointment and at which the last photographs of the Queen were taken.

The mother of King Charles III. has met her appointments in a disciplined manner throughout her reign. She apparently showed just as much diligence with her diaries – right up to the end: “It is not surprising that the monarch kept her records conscientiously, even as she became increasingly frail due to illness,” concluded Tatler magazine.

A former royal family member revealed to the British newspaper The Sun in 2019 that the Queen writes in her diary with a fountain pen and black ink and that each diary is marked with her cipher and numbered with a Roman numeral. Accordingly, the books are bound in leather. Writing was her last act every evening, “no matter how late it was or how tired she was.” The insider continued: “It’s an unmissable duty, and she writes at a desk, never in bed.”

The Queen herself said in a documentary: “I keep a diary, but not like Queen Victoria’s. It’s quite small.” Presumably her busy schedule did not allow for detailed descriptions. She once confessed to diarist Kenneth Rose: “I don’t have time to record conversations, only events.”

Royal experts believe that the notes were intended to help the Queen remember the events of a particular day and perhaps also serve as an archive of her everyday experiences for future historians. Because almost nothing is private with a queen – not even personal records.

recently pointed out that royal diaries have been made available to the public in the past, including those of Queen Victoria (1819-1901). Is this also conceivable for the Queen? 2023 was announced according to “Hello!” the late Queen’s former aide Paul Whybrew, appointed by Charles to review the late monarch’s personal letters and diaries and decide what information should be made public.

Incidentally, Charles has also been keeping a diary for many years. “He no longer writes large narrative diaries like he used to,” author Hardman quoted a courtier as saying. Like his mother, the king seems to keep things as brief as possible: he scribbles down “his memories and reflections at the end of each day.”