Elizabeth died on Sept. 8 last year at Balmoral Castle. She was 96 years old. Her official death certificate said she died of “old age.”
Anne, who was with her mother when she died, told filmmakers, according to excerpts released Friday, “I think there was a moment when she felt that it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral.” She said that the family persuaded the queen that she “shouldn’t be part of the decision-making process.”
“I hope she felt that that was right, in the end. Because I think we did,” she said.
The late queen had extended her 2022 summer stay in Scotland and even met with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, the United Kingdom’s 55th and 56th prime ministers, respectively, at Balmoral shortly before she died.
The British monarch plays an important role in the transition of power in Britain, with the monarch formally appointing the new leader at a ceremony called “kissing hands” that typically takes place at Buckingham Palace in London. In 2022, for the first time in Elizabeth’s reign, the outgoing and incoming prime ministers traveled to Scotland for the ceremony.
Earlier in 2022, the queen had bowed out of several events due to what the palace called “episodic mobility problems.”
Anne’s comments were made in a documentary called “Charles III: The Coronation Year,” which is narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, the British actor who played the queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, in some seasons of “The Crown.” The show will be broadcast on the BBC in Britain the day after Christmas and features behind-the-scenes footage of the buildup to the coronation of King Charles III.
Speaking about her elder brother ascending to the throne, Anne says: “To be honest, I’m not sure that anybody can really prepare themselves for that kind of change … not easily. And then the change happens and you go: ‘Okay, I now have to get on with it.’
“Monarchy is a 365 days a year occupation; it doesn’t stop because you change monarchs, for whatever reason.”
She also spoke about the moment when her mother was laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel, located on the grounds of the centuries-old Windsor Castle.
When the Imperial State Crown was removed from her coffin, “I rather weirdly felt a sense of relief,” Anne said. “Somehow that’s it, finished. That responsibility being moved on.”
