Queen Elizabeth II was so frail in her final days she found it difficult even lifting a teapot, according to a royal biographer.
The death of Her Late Majesty at the age of 96 in September 2022 sparked an outpouring of grief in the UK and tributes from around the world.
But in the preceding months she is said to have begun to feel increasingly isolated in the wake of beloved husband Prince Philip’s death, as well as the passing of other very close friends.
The Queen reportedly took to inviting old members of household staff into her private apartments to reminisce about good times in the past.
In his new book ‘Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography’, Robert Jobson recounts a heart-breaking revelation from one former staff member.
‘She told me she didn’t know anybody [her staff and servants] anymore,’ he writes.
Regular visits and phone calls from her grandson Prince William were said to be her highlights, the Daily Mail reports.
He and wife Kate moved to the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate to be close to his grandmother in her final months.
Quoting one aide, Jobson writes: ‘He knew his time with his grandmother was precious and he is delighted they, as a couple, made that decision.’
The royal biographer also describes how the Queen’s final appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony – when she thrilled the thousands gathered outside for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations – took a great deal of courage as she was in constant pain throughout.
As the monarch’s health deteriorated, he writes, she ‘could hardly see and just didn’t have the strength’.
One source close to the Queen said: ‘She would get terribly frustrated as she hated causing a mess, pouring it over the tray.
‘She asked for a smaller pot and would get frustrated when the staff forgot and brought the big one.’
Jobson, who has penned biographies of other royals including King Charles, says the Queen was comforted knowing the institution was safe for the next two generations.
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