As the world's second-longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible legacy. A new book features the final words from the late queen's diary, and they perfectly illuminate her personality.
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00:00As the world's second-longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible legacy.
00:06A new book features the final words from the late queen's diary,
00:09and they perfectly illuminate her personality — as factual and practical as ever.
00:15That's how royal author Robert Hardeman describes Elizabeth's final diary entry
00:19in his new biography, Charles III. The last entry begins,
00:23"[Edward came to see me, a reference to her private secretary, Sir Edward Young,
00:28and detailed the arrangements Young made for the swearing-in of the Liz Truss administration."
00:33Even at the end, Elizabeth upheld the same devotion to her role that characterized her
00:38entire 70-year reign. In this case, she was preparing for a familiar ceremony
00:43in which she would formally recognize the new prime minister.
00:46Nice to see you again.
00:47Lovely to see you again."
00:48Truss met with Queen Elizabeth on September 6th, 2022, just two days before the queen died.
00:54During her life, access to Elizabeth's diary was limited to her husband, Prince Philip,
00:59but Hardeman was granted royal permission while working on his book.
01:03There's a possibility that a collection of the queen's diaries could one day be
01:07available to the public, although that may be for a limited time only.
01:11However, it's unlikely that readers would find anything juicy in them.
01:15Elizabeth's diary was reportedly a reflection of the queen's stoic demeanor and intended
01:20primarily for royal business purposes. Even so, the queen reportedly went to great lengths to
01:25keep her entries private by keeping her diary locked up when she wasn't using it.
01:30Elizabeth was said to have written her first diary entries as a teen,
01:34and in keeping with her work ethic, writing in it was part of her bedtime routine.
01:38Over the years, excerpts from the diaries of Elizabeth's father, George VI,
01:43have revealed his thoughts during World War II. In 2020,
01:47King Charles read an entry detailing his grandfather's perspective on VE Day.
01:52As depicted in the crown, George wrote Lilibet and Margaret, with a party of friends,
01:56walked in the crowd after dark to see London and festive mood.
02:00"'Poor darlings. They have never had any fun yet.'"
02:04While Elizabeth's diaries remain unreleased, a diary from one of the queen's childhood friends,
02:09Alethea Howard, includes some intriguing details.
02:13Howard discussed Elizabeth's teenage crush on Prince Philip and playing ice hockey with her.
02:18However, even way back then, Elizabeth's stoicism was fully evident. Howard wrote,
02:23"'She's the most un-gossipy person I know,
02:26placid and unemotional. She never desires what doesn't come her way.'"
02:30Elizabeth was so laser-focused on her job as queen, in fact,
02:34that she almost put duty ahead of her personal wishes near the end.
02:37She was reportedly concerned about the complications of dying in Scotland
02:41rather than England. However, in her final days, the royal family was against this attitude.
02:47Instead, they encouraged her to stay at Balmoral Castle simply because she loved being there.