It’s been a little more than one year since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. She ruled for over 70 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in history. An entire world mourned the Queen. Just days ago, on the first anniversary of her death, the royal family gathered to mourn and remember their beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Prince William and Princess Kate attended a service at St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, commemorating the late Queen’s life. The couple laid down flowers to honor the late Queen and spoke fondly of her.
A lip-reading expert has now decoded the words William and Kate uttered when leaving the cathedral. It’s safe to say the first anniversary was very emotional.
After reigning for over 70 years, Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022, aged 96. The Queen now rests in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle, alongside her parents, her sister, Princess Margaret, and her husband, Prince Philip.
Before the funeral, hundreds of thousands of people visited London’s Westminster Hall to see Queen Elizabeth lying in state and to pay their respects.
For weeks after the funeral, circumstances surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s cause of death were kept a secret.
Queen Elizabeth – cause of death
In late September, the registered cause of death was released. Queen Elizabeth’s cause of death was listed as “old age,” with no further details added. The National Records of Scotland’s Chief Executive, Paul Lowe, confirmed that her passing was registered in Aberdeenshire on September 16.
Queen Elizabeth’s official cause of death is documented as old age. According to Express sources, she withdrew from more public events in her final year because of mobility issues and increased pain.
Queen Elizabeth appointed Liz Truss as Prime Minister just days before her death. The picture of her meeting Truss became the last-ever picture taken of her. She looked frail but happy. A year later, Truss decided to speak about what became a very special meeting.
On September 6, Queen Elizabeth appointed Liz Truss – her fifteenth and final Prime Minister – at Balmoral. It is usually done at Buckingham Palace, but since it was in the middle of the Queen’s summer break, Truss traveled more than 500 miles from London to Scotland to make it happen.
Speaking to GB News, Truss explained that Queen Elizabeth was “absolutely on top” of what was happening. Moreover, the now-former Prime Minister revealed that the Queen was “very, very keen” on reassuring her that they would meet again.
“It was very important to her,” Truss told GB News.
“I’d met the Queen before when I was Justice Secretary. I’ve met her on several occasions. And although she was physically quite frail, she was always absolutely mentally alert and determined to do her duty.”
The former PM continued, “I was obviously only in the first few days of the job of being Prime Minister. I was thinking about many, many different things. But the assumption absolutely was that this would be the first of many meetings,” she said, adding that the late Queen was “very determined to do her duty, right to the end.”
First anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death
Truss had only been Prime Minister for 48 hours before Queen Elizabeth died. She felt the situation was “very, very serious,” as one of her staffers had already been sent to her house to bring a black dress.
“I knew I would have to address the nation,” Truss recalled. “I knew the situation was very, very serious, and it was really just getting through those crucial moments and making sure that we did all we could to pay tribute to the Queen, but also to make sure there was a smooth transition to support the new King.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla were at the Queen’s side when she passed. Unfortunately, Prince William and Prince Harry didn’t make it to Balmoral to say their goodbyes before she died. The estranged Duke – who now lives in California with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children – sadly found out about his grandmother’s death in a tragic moment.
While the now-Prince of Wales traveled to Balmoral to be with his family, Kate Middleton stayed behind in London to pick up their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, from school and tell them what had happened. Their youngest son, Louis, reacted to the news in the most heartbreaking way.
The entire royal family and the nation mourned Queen Elizabeth as she was laid to rest at Windsor. Now, a year has gone by, and the royal family is keeping up with new roles for many of them.
King Charles’ year has undoubtedly been turbulent as he’s dealt with the accusations and many other claims made by Harry in his memoir, Spare. Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton – now the Prince and Princess of Wales – have their hands full with raising their children. At the same time, they have taken on many new duties since “leaving” their Duke and Duchess of Cambridge roles.
September 8 marked the first anniversary of the Queen’s passing. The royal family all paid their tributes to their beloved monarch differently.
King Charles and Queen Elizabeth attended Crathie Kirk church for a private memorial prayer on Friday morning. They spent the day on a walkabout, meeting members of the royal household at Balmoral and residents from the local town nearby. He also got to meet some primary school students.
King Charles and Prince Harry’s heartfelt tributes
Through social media, King Charles put out a statement, both in writing and an audio file, thanking the nation for their support on the first anniversary of his mother’s passing. Moreover, he shared a beautiful portrait of his beloved mother taken in 1968, which had only been seen once at an exhibition.
“In marking the first anniversary of Her Late Majesty’s death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service, and all she meant to so many of us,” King Charles said.
“I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.”
Meanwhile, Harry attended the WellChild Awards in London. Speaking at the gala, he also paid tribute to his “Grannie,” with whom he shared a special bond.
“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away. As you probably also know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her,” Harry said.
“And that’s precisely why I know exactly one year on that she’s looking down on us tonight, happy we are together – continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.”
On Friday, September 8, just before leaving for the Invictus games in Germany, Harry was also spotted visiting his grandmother’s burial site at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Prince William and Princess Kate traveled to Wales on Friday, where they took part in a service remembering Queen Elizabeth at the historic St. David’s Cathedral. For the special day, Kate honored the beloved late monarch in her own way.
Lipreading expert reveal Kate and William’s words at Queen Elizabeth memorial service
She wore pearl and diamond earrings that previously had belonged to her grandmother-in-law, as reported by People. The Princess of Wales has worn the jewels before, as she borrowed them from Queen Elizabeth when she went on her first solo trip abroad to the Netherlands in 2016.
“Pearls are one of the very few jewelry items you can wear in mourning and are inextricably linked with Queen Elizabeth and her personal jewelry legacy,” Bethan Holt, author of The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style, previously told People. “It’s a symbol of mourning a monarch but also a grandmother or great-grandmother.”
Prince William and Kate arrived for the service in a helicopter. The Princess of Wales laid down a bouquet of white roses before a photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth.
When leaving the cathedral, William and Kate chatted with several people. And according to lip-reading expert Jacqui Press, it’s now been determined what they said.
Outside the cathedral, the local flying instructor Patricia Mquili Porter OBE spoke with the royal couple about her memories of Queen Elizabeth. Kate replied while standing next to William, “We all have wonderful memories of her, we have to hold on to them, cherish them,” Jacqui told the Daily Mail.
Later, as they signed the visitor’s book, a staff member pointed to some words written in beautiful handwriting. Kate responded, “Yes, indeed. It’s wonderful to see what they were thinking about at that time.”
It’s safe to say that Prince William and Princess Kate weren’t alone in mourning the Queen, keeping her legacy and memory alive.
“We all miss you”
At one point, William pointed towards the visitor’s book, saying, “Some great memories of The Queen.”
Kate smiled and answered she “had to be conscious” of signing her signature.
For the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death, William and Kate also turned to social media, sharing a heartbreaking statement and several pictures of the late Queen.
“Today we remember the extraordinary life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We all miss you. W&C.”
One of the pictures included the Queen meeting her beloved corgi dogs, and another saw Queen Elizabeth surrounded by her great-grandchildren at Balmoral last year, a picture taken by Kate.
