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Twenty one days following the September 8, 2022, death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96, her cause of death has officially been revealed to the public. The longest ruling Monarch in British history died of old age. Her birth certificate, which was released by the National Records of Scotland, confirmed the news on Sept. 29. Princess Anne, the Queen’s daughter, was listed as the informant of the Royal’s death, and her official time of death was 3:10 p.m.
News that Queen Elizabeth II was under “medical supervision” was announced on the morning of Sept. 8. Family members began arriving at Balmoral Castle, where the Queen was staying, to be with her. Shortly thereafter, an official statement was released informing the public of her death. The statement came out three hours after the official time of death.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the official statement on Queen Elizabeth’s death read. “The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.” Charles, now King, issued a statement of his own on his mother’s passing after a legendary reign of 70 years.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” he said in the statement posted to the family’s social media account “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms, and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
Back in late June 2022, Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, in an unprecedented set of festivities across England. However, her growing health concerns prevented her from attending all the events. The beloved Sovereign was born on April 21, 1926 and assumed the throne after her uncle King Edward VIII famously fell in love with American divorcee and socialite Wallis Simpson and abdicated the throne in 1936 so he could marry her; her father King George VI died shortly after, leaving her the crown.
“Today as The Queen turns 96, we’re sharing this photograph taken when she was 2-years-old,” they captioned the April 21 post. “Then Princess Elizabeth, she was the eldest daughter of The Duke and Duchess of York and was never expected to become Queen. Her life changed in 1936 when her uncle, King Edward VIII abdicated, her father became King George VI and the young Princess became the heir presumptive. Following the sad death of her father in 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II aged just 25, and this year is celebrating 70 years on the throne – a first in British history.”
Her husband, Prince Philip, passed away on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.