Royal Author Reveals Queen Elizabeth's Last Wish for Her 12 Great-Grandchildren
The late Queen Elizabeth appeared to be the happiest when she was surrounded by the young royals.
While the late Queen Elizabeth long held a reserved public image, on a more personal side, she shared a deeply affectionate bond with all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved to spend time with them away from royal duties, both during private gatherings and quiet moments at Balmoral. Royal experts have also observed that the late Queen appeared to be the happiest when surrounded by the young royals. Now, a royal author has revealed that in the final moments of her life, Elizabeth expressed one of her deeply personal wishes for her great-grandchildren.
As reported by HELLO Magazine, royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote about the late Queen’s wish in his book titled ‘Queen Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story.’ Before her passing, Elizabeth reportedly wanted to bring all her great-grandchildren together for a special summer visit at her Scottish residence. Hardman stated, "The Queen wanted all the great-grandchildren to come up to Balmoral at some point over that summer, even if the Sussexes might not be able to make it. 'She wanted to make sure that they all had a really happy memory of her,' explained a friend of the family."
The invitation was reportedly sent to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, along with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kids were invited despite the couple having stepped back from their royal roles in 2020. The list also included her other great-grandchildren, including Peter Phillips kids, Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips, Zara and Mike Tindall's kids, Mia, Lena, and Lucas. Additionally, Princess Beatrice's daughter, Sienna, and Princess Eugenie's son, August, were invited as well. Note that Beatrice's daughter, Athena, and Eugenie's son, Ernest, were born after the Queen's death.
However, during the summer of 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Scotland with their kids to enjoy the school holidays. On the other hand, Harry and Meghan also visited the UK with their kids, but they didn’t visit Balmoral. While reports claim that it was because the Duchess of Sussex refused to accept the invitation, a spokesperson for the Sussexes dismissed any such claims.
Meanwhile, in the final few months of her life, Elizabeth was notably absent from a number of key royal engagements and longstanding calendar events. Despite this, she warmly greeted the then-incoming Conservative Party Prime Minister Liz Truss at her Balmoral residence, which happened just two days before her unfortunate death. Hardman spoke of the late Queen and said, "She was so brave. You could tell she was having a lot of treatment from the bruising on her hands where the cannula had gone in. Her hands seemed permanently bruised."
