The death of a prince, a family divided, and a scandal that may yet destroy the
monarchy — here's what happened in Queen Elizabeth's final year.
In February 2022, Queen Elizabeth II made an appearance at the Sandringham Estate in honor
of Accession Day. At the time, she was carrying something familiar to royal watchers: Prince
Philip's old walking cane. It was a poignant reminder that her long-time husband was no longer
by her side. The late royal had used the stick in 2013 after a surgery, and it is likely part
of numerous mementos he left behind after he died in April 2021. His passing ended their 73-year
marriage, leaving her to celebrate the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne alone.
The queen's own health problems began flaring up in the months after Philip's funeral,
and many think this isn't a coincidence. If grief can affect health, then Queen
Elizabeth may have experienced something similar. According to People magazine,
the queen couldn't help missing Philip even though she wasn't one for lingering on the past. She said
as much during her last Christmas Broadcast in 2021, which she dedicated to Prince Philip,
claiming she empathized with those who felt loss during the holiday.
"Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones.
This year, especially, I understand why."
Concerns over the queen's health began in October 2021 when she was seen using
a walking stick in public. She was using the same cane she had used after a surgery in 2003,
which was also the last time she had needed one at all. Later that month, she was hospitalized,
seemingly out of caution, and promptly returned home. Although little more was heard about her
hospitalization, she subsequently canceled a trip to Northern Ireland due to doctor's orders.
Her problems escalated the following month in November when her schedule was derailed again
due to a back sprain. This caused her to miss the Remembrance Sunday Service, an event that honors
war veterans. Prince Charles later gave an update on her health and said she was feeling better.
The queen then contracted COVID-19 in February 2022. She only suffered mild
symptoms but spent time in a bubble and continued to miss public events.
In May, Buckingham Palace gave a health update on the queen and said
she was having trouble with her mobility. These problems continued into the summer.
Queen Elizabeth was known for maintaining a busy schedule relative to your ordinary
90-something-year-old, so 2021 spelled trouble when she began canceling events left and right.
After missing her trip to Northern Ireland, she missed a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow.
When the Festival of Remembrance came around in November, the queen
was intent on making an appearance, but she had to cancel that, too.
Her absences continued into the spring, when she had to isolate herself after becoming infected
with COVID-19. She missed the Commonwealth Service in mid-March, which was supposed to be her return
to public duties, but was able to attend a memorial service for her late husband. The queen
then withdrew from two royal Easter events, including the Royal Maundy Service and the
Sunday service at St. George's Chapel. The queen also missed one of the biggest events of the year:
the opening of Parliament, which she had attended for 60 years. One of the final events she missed
was the Braemar Highland Gathering, which she had perfect attendance for throughout her reign.
Near the anniversary of his death, the royal family held a memorial service for Prince Philip.
There were concerns, at the time, that Queen Elizabeth II would not be able to attend due to
health issues. But she did, wearing "Edinburgh Green" to honor the late Duke of Edinburgh.
However, most of the service was overshadowed by the presence and role of Prince Andrew. The queen
chose to hold onto her son's arm for support as he guided her into Westminster Abbey. The decision
to use Prince Andrew prominently outraged many, especially since his rare appearance came after
his lawsuit settlement to Virginia Giuffre, who has previously accused Andrew of sexual assault.
"People watching at home saw that, and I know from the people I've spoken to, there's kind of shock."
Prince Andrew was considered the queen's favorite child, and royal expert Robert Jobson told People
magazine that she had made her desire to include Andrew in the ceremony known. Other members of the
royal party reportedly disagreed with this idea, but what the queen says, goes. Also notable was
the absence of Prince Harry. Although he didn't attend, amid his concerns that he no longer had
security protection, Harry expressed his intention to visit the queen soon after.
Although the queen was forced to cancel events due to her health, she took plenty
of opportunities to remind everyone that she was still the reigning monarch — even
if a few meetings had to be held over Zoom. After spraining her back in November 2021,
the queen hosted Sir Nicholas Carter, who had just ended his service as Chief of the Defense Staff,
in order to make up for her absence at the Remembrance Day Service.
The queen continued to receive visitors in several meetings over her final 12 months.
For example, on February 15th, 2022, she welcomed the ambassadors from Estonia and
Spain via video call. Two days later, she spoke to two other ambassadors in the same manner.
In March, she sat for tea with Mary Simon, the Governor-General of Canada,
and later in the month, she awarded The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry to poet Grace Nichols,
continuing a tradition her grandfather, King George V, had begun. She also made time to
attend the Royal Windsor Horse show in May and was occasionally seen driving around her Windsor home.
Much royal family drama took place during Queen Elizabeth II's final years,
but none was as dark as the downfall of her favorite son, Prince Andrew. In 2019,
Andrew withdrew from his role as a working royal after his close relationship with sex
traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell came to light. Worse still,
trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre alleged that the prince had sexually assaulted her when she was
a minor. In January 2022, Andrew was scheduled to face a civil trial in the United States, set for
later in the year. A day after that was announced, Andrew was stripped of his military titles and his
"HRH" status. The queen likely took this decision after receiving a petition from 152 members of the
British military requesting her to dishonorably discharge him and remove his ranks and titles.
"The royal family really hasn’t faced a situation such as this in modern time."
Then, in March, Andrew reached a financial settlement with Giuffre,
and the case was dismissed. Andrew had previously tried to get his case dismissed due to a prior
financial settlement he had made with Giuffre in 2009, but the judge rejected the request.
One thing's for sure, though — Prince Andrew's presence is
sure to threaten the royal family well into the reign of Queen Elizabeth's successor.
Queen Elizabeth's final jubilee celebration was one that no other monarch in British history has
achieved: 70 years on the throne. The queen's popularity, coupled with the prevailing and
obvious sentiment that such an event would be her last, made for a spectacular last hurrah.
According to The Guardian, 16.75 million people in the United Kingdom took part in
some kind of jubilee event. To top it off, the queen received well-wishes from a number
of foreign dignitaries, including President Joe Biden and the Pope.
But the queen was less engaged in the event than she had been in previous years.
People correctly guessed that she would attend fewer jubilee gatherings since she had already
missed other events in the past year. For example, she was not among the procession
during the Jubilee Pageant, and her image was replaced by a hologram on her carriage.
However, in a letter the royal family posted on Twitter,
she assured her subjects that her absences didn't diminish her gratitude towards them.
In her final months, Queen Elizabeth paved the way for King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla
Parker-Bowles. In fact, the queen had given Charles a share of her royal duties since 2014,
when she and the then-prince had one of their first prominent joint appearances together at
a D-Day anniversary event in Normandy. But in the past year, Charles' role as the queen's
successor became more noticable. For example, Charles sat in for his mother at the opening of
Parliament in May, giving Charles a chance to grow accustomed to his future, routine royal duties.
Queen Elizabeth went a step further in preparing her successors by naming Charles' wife and Duchess
of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles, the future queen consort. The move was important since
Charles felt that he needed an equal in order to reign properly, according to royal expert
Christopher Andersen. Charles went so far as to personally persuade the queen to elevate
Camilla's title, appealing to the role that her late husband, Prince Philip, once served.
It seems that Queen Elizabeth had one last, dying wish. According to royal historian Robert Hardman,
the queen desperately wanted Prince Harry and her family to bury the hatchet once and for all.
She loved Harry and seemed to have been caught in the middle of the drama,
acting as an intermediary between the Duke of Sussex and the rest of the royals.
The rift between Harry and Buckingham Palace began when he and Meghan Markle stepped down
from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020.
Since then, relations between the Sussexes and the royals have only gotten worse.
In a now-notorious interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry and Meghan revealed that they had been
financially cut off by Charles, and made a number of devastating accusations against the royals.
"They were willing to lie to protect other members of the
family but they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband."
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the squabble that led Harry and Meghan Markle
to estrange themselves from Buckingham Palace distressed the queen in her final
years. She was also heartbroken by Harry's decision to step back from his royal duties,
and equally saddened by her distanced relationship with her great-grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
But the topic also tired her, and she was reportedly reluctant to dwell on it.
The queen's birthday took place on April 21, 2022. She turned 96, solidifying her title
as the United Kingdom's longest-reigning monarch. For reference, Queen Victoria,
the second-longest reigning monarch, lived to the age of 81. But unlike her state birthday,
which is marked by the Trooping the Color parade and other celebrations,
her real birthday was observed in a more laid-back setting at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
But even if her real birthday was more low-key than other events she celebrated,
there was still a little pageantry. Across London and on the Windsor estate,
squadrons of cavalries honored the occasion.
At Hyde Park, a 41-gun salute was observed, while a 62-gun salute took place at the Tower of London.
September 8th, 2022, felt ominous from the start. News broadcasts around the world prepared for the
worst after Buckingham Palace announced that the queen's doctors were concerned about her
health. Meanwhile, British politicians began expressing well-wishes for the royal family,
who were soon rushed to Balmoral Castle, where the queen was staying. Between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
the time the prime minister was informed of the queen's death, she was surrounded
by close members of her family. Princess Anne said she spent the queen's last day with her;
Anne subsequently voiced her support for her brother's new royal duties. King Charles,
Prince William, and Prince Harry also eventually arrived at the queen's estate.
At 6:30 p.m, Buckingham Palace announced that the queen had died peacefully. 10 minutes later,
an official announcement was placed on the gates of the palace, and, soon after,
tributes from leaders around the world began pouring in. After a
funeral service on September 19, 2022, she was laid to rest at Windsor Castle.