Queen Elizabeth's Last Diary Entry Confirms She Stayed True To Herself In Her Final Days

As the world's second-longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible legacy. In his upcoming book, royal biographer Robert Hardman is including final words from the late queen's diary, and they perfectly illuminate Elizabeth's personality. "Her last entry was as factual and practical as ever," Hardman observes in "Charles III," (via The Telegraph). "It could have been describing 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 made for the swearing-in of the new ministers of the Truss administration."

Even as her life was ending, Elizabeth upheld the same devotion to her role that characterized her entire 70-year reign. In this case, she was prepping for a ceremony known as "kissing hands," in which she would formally recognize Liz Truss as the new prime minister. Truss met with the queen on September 6, 2022, and Elizabeth died two days later.

Elizabeth II was so laser-focused on her job as queen that she almost put duty ahead of her personal wishes. She was reportedly concerned about the complications of dying in Scotland rather than England. However, in her final days, the royal family was against this attitude. Instead, they encouraged her to stay at Balmoral simply because she loved being there.

During her life, access to Queen Elizabeth's diary was limited to her husband, Prince Philip. Currently, biographer Robert Hardman was granted royal permission while working on his book. There's a possibility that the collection of the queen's diaries could one day be available to the public, although that may be for a limited time only.

However, it's not likely that readers would find anything too juicy on her personal pages. "I doubt she will give much away in the diary, because she has a lifetime of training in not saying things," royal author Hugo Vickers explained to The Sun. Elizabeth's diary was purportedly a reflection of the queen's stoic demeanor and intended primarily for royal business purposes. As part of her responsibilities, Elizabeth received red boxes full of documents, and she had to absorb a tremendous amount of info detailing governmental happenings.

Even so, the queen reportedly went to great lengths to keep her entries private by keeping her diary locked up when she wasn't using it. Elizabeth was said to have written her first diary entries as a teen, and, in keeping with her work ethic, writing in it was part of her bedtime routine. Although she wouldn't discuss her diaries' contents, Elizabeth did display her signature wit when talking about them. "She was once asked by a visiting bishop 'Do you write it in your own hand?' And she riposted: 'I can't really write it in anyone else's,'" Vickers informed The Sun.

Over the years, excerpts from the diaries of Queen Elizabeth's father, George VI, have revealed his thoughts during World War II. In 2020, King Charles read an entry detailing his grandfather's perspective on VE Day. While some of the entry is very matter-of-fact, mentioning a meeting and giving a radio speech, George VI also writes as a father. "Lilibet and Margaret, with a party of friends, walked in the crowd after dark to see London in festive mood," he writes, using the queen's childhood nickname. "Poor darlings, they have never had any fun yet."

George V, Elizabeth's grandfather, was all about precision in a diary entry detailing the start of World War I. The king even talked about what time phone calls and meetings occurred, breaking things down into 15-minute intervals. While George V was also known for keeping meticulous accounts of the weather, his journals also reveal some intriguing personal info, like when he got some tattoos as a teen. In sparkling prose, George V describes the tattoo artist creating a red and blue dragon on his arm.

While Elizabeth's diaries remain unreleased, a diary from one of the queen's childhood friends, Alathea Fitzalan Howard, offered up lots of intriguing details. Howard discussed Elizabeth's teenage crush on Prince Philip and playing ice hockey with her. However, even way back then, Elizabeth's stoicism was fully evident. "She's the most ungossipy person I know," Howard wrote (via New York Post). "Placid and unemotional, she never desires what doesn't come her way."