The Queen Believed She Wouldn’t ‘Come Back’ From Balmoral And Chose To ‘Leave Her Crown’ At The Palace Gates

Sep 16, 2022 by apost team

Queen Elizabeth II was the reigning monarch of England for an incredible 70 years, but sadly her time came to an end when she passed away on Sept. 8, 2022. She passed away while at her home in Balmoral after Buckingham Palace had earlier announced that she was under medical attention. It was a devastating day for the royal family as many members gathered to be by her side in her final moments. 

Despite making it to an incredible 96 years of age, the queen proved there was no slowing her down. 2022 was a big year for her after she celebrated 70 years as Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 Commonwealth realms in February. This was not only a milestone for her but for the entire world, as she was the first British ruling monarch to reach the seven-decade mark. In fact, she made further history when she became the second longest-serving monarch ever. She's only bested by one other ruler, Louis XIV of France. 

When she wasn’t busy attending to matters at Buckingham Palace, the queen enjoyed spending time – mostly the summers – at her favorite vacation home, Balmoral Castle. This dreamy and sprawling estate is nestled in the peaceful Scottish highlands. While there, the queen would enjoy picnics, dog walking and visits from the rest of her family.

Balmoral is also one of the last places the queen visited prior to her passing. And now, reporters have said that it appeared that the queen chose Balmoral to remain a place of significance, as she didn’t think she would come back from there.

The public was used to seeing Queen Elizabeth II at her very best all the time, so there was some concern for her health when she was recovering from a back injury in November 2021. Elizabeth always made sure to attend important events in any way that she could, and while she couldn't be present for her five-yearly visit to General Synod, which is the national assembly of the Church of England, she made sure to include a meaningful message for all attendees.

It was the first time that the queen had not attended the event since it first began in 1970. Naturally, she was deeply missed, but she did not leave attendees without someone there representing the crown. ELLE reported that Prince Edward went to the event in place of his mother and read her message, which stated, "It is hard to believe that it is over 50 years since Prince Philip and I attended the very first meeting of the General Synod." It continued: 

"None of us can slow the passage of time, and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged, including the Gospel of Christ and his teachings." 

The queen had a few words of comfort as well:

"Of course, in our richly diverse modern society, the wellbeing of the nation depends on the contribution of people of all faiths, and of none. But for people of faith, the last few years have been particularly hard, with unprecedented restrictions in accessing the comfort and reassurance of public worship." 

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Though the queen missed many events due to her ill health in late 2021, her strength and spirit were certainly not missed. Following her recovery, the queen got back to work and rang in her Platinum Jubilee in style in the first half of 2022. Now that she has passed, Elizabeth's meaningful words serve as a reminder of the kind of empathic and successful leader that she was. 

According to The Times, Rt Rev Dr. Iain Greenshields, the clergyman who spent the last weekend with the queen, said the queen was the “life and soul of things.” He added:

“It was a fantastic visit. Her memory was absolutely amazing and she was really full of fun. It came as a great shock to me when I heard she was gravely ill because she was in amazing good form over the weekend.”

Greenshields continued:

“She was quite remarkable. For someone of her age, to have the memory she had and genuinely laughing and very much enjoying her family and the whole occasion. She was great company.”

As reported by Daily Motion, Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl had said that the queen seemingly chose to be at Balmoral Castle prior to her passing. The queen had spent most of the summer of 2022 there despite having “mobility issues.” 

Nicholl said that the queen “knew she wasn’t going to come back (to Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace), I think she wanted to be in Balmoral and she wanted to pass there.” The correspondent continued, explaining how the queen could be a “mother, grandmother and great-grandmother there” and “leave her crown at the gates.”

What do you think about the late queen’s life and legacy? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to any royal family fan you know.