Queen's final picture: Smiling monarch in front of roaring fire in Balmoral drawing room she loved
8 September 2022, 23:29 | Updated: 9 September 2022, 08:59
The final picture of the Queen before her death showed her smiling by a roaring fire at a drawing room in Balmoral.
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The last known photograph of the Queen was taken on the day she appointed Liz Truss Prime Minister at her Scottish residency.
It marked the 15th premier of the Queen's 70 years on the throne.
She died at the age of 96 on Thursday, with her family rushing to be by her bedside in Aberdeenshire.
But two days earlier she was seen clutching her walking stick - which previously belonged to her husband Prince Philip - looking content in her holiday home up in Scotland.
The Queen had previously decided to stay in Scotland instead of returning down south to welcome the incoming leader due to her mobility issues.
A statement from Buckingham Palace at the time read: "The Queen received in audience The Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new administration.
"Ms Truss accepted Her Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury."
The monarch was also forced to pull out of a Privy Council meeting after being advised by doctors to rest.
Read more: World pays tribute to 'kind-hearted' Queen who 'defined an era'
PM’s statement on the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
Despite her health issues, the Queen continued with her official duties to the very end.
Her final message was to the Governor General and the people of Canada following an attack in Saskatchewan.
She said: "I would like to extend my condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the attacks that occurred this past weekend in Saskatchewan.
"My thoughts and prayers are with those recovering from injuries, and grieving such horrific losses.
"I mourn with all Canadians at this tragic time."
