Queen Elizabeth II's death aged 96 triggered more than a week of national mourning
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Queen Elizabeth II's death certificate revealed she died at 3:10 p.m. U.K. time on Sept. 8
  • Only King Charles III and Princess Anne were around when their mother passed away in her Scottish estate Balmoral
  • The two royals were already in Scotland on official duties when the Queen's health deteriorated

Only two members of the royal family were around when Queen Elizabeth II breathed her last, the late monarch's death certificate indicates.

On Thursday, the National Records of Scotland released Queen Elizabeth II's death certificate, which revealed her cause and time of death. Britain's longest-reigning monarch died of "old age" at 3:10 p.m. local time on Sept. 8 at the age of 96, according to the document.

The Queen's time of death was more than three hours before Buckingham Palace announced her passing at 6:30 p.m. local time that day. The New York Times noted that the Queen passing away just after 3 p.m. indicates that only her eldest son King Charles III and only daughter Princess Anne were by Her Majesty's side when she died.

Charles and Anne were already in Scotland on official duties at the time, according to the publication.

Queen Elizabeth's two other sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, arrived at their mother's Scottish estate Balmoral with Prince William shortly after 5 p.m. Prince Harry, who took a separate flight, didn't arrive until just before 8 p.m. All four royals were too late to say their final goodbyes to the Queen.

Buckingham Palace first raised the alarm about the Queen's condition at 12:35 p.m. on Sept. 8. In a statement, the palace said at the time that Her Majesty's doctors were concerned about her health and that she had been placed under medical supervision.

Following the announcement, members of the royal family immediately began heading for her Scottish estate.

In the months before her death, Queen Elizabeth II had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace had called "episodic mobility problems."

The late monarch had canceled multiple public appearances, including the bulk of the events of her Platinum Jubilee celebration in June. However, Queen Elizabeth managed to make a balcony appearance twice during the four days of festivities celebrating her 70th year on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth was honored with a state funeral on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in Central London. It was the first time a monarch's funeral service was held in the abbey since the 18th century, although the funeral of the Queen Mother was held there in 2002.

A second ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II was held at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle that afternoon.

Amid their ongoing tension, King Charles' two sons Prince Harry and Prince William put on a united front during their grandmother's funeral ceremonies. The new heir to the British throne was seen waving to his younger brother and his sister-in-law Meghan Markle to join him and his family in the front row during the committal service at St. George's Chapel.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were already in Europe when Queen Elizabeth died and had extended their one-week trip to attend the funeral, flew back to California a day after the monarch's burial.

Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are displayed at the National Arts centre in downtown Ottawa ahead of a memorial service for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
AFP