September 7th 2023.
Liz Truss, the former Prime Minister, opened up about her last encounter with Queen Elizabeth II just two days before the Monarch's death. She had been welcomed to Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 6 2022 to be appointed Prime Minister, as the Queen was unable to travel to London for the occasion.
Ms Truss described the 96-year-old as appearing "frail", but she was "mentally alert" and reassured Ms Truss that they would meet again soon. She had no indication that the Queen was gravely ill, and was expecting it to be the first of many meetings.
The Queen had been pictured smiling warmly as she greeted Ms Truss in front of an open fire in her sitting room, although the plans for a Privy Council meeting had to be postponed the next day. The Queen died just two days after meeting Ms Truss.
The politician was in the House of Commons chamber when the then-Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi sat down next to her with a note and began urgently whispering to her. Buckingham Palace had delayed the release of a statement about the Queen's health until 12.32pm, and it was not until 4.30pm on the same day that confirmation of the Queen's death reached Downing Street.
Ms Truss felt very sad, but she also started to think about the practicalities of the days to come. There had been a pre-arranged statement for a sitting Prime Minister to read in the event of the Monarch's death, but it was out of date in tone, so Ms Truss rewrote it. She spoke to the King the same day and offered her "sincere condolences", with the King being "very, very resolute".
Ms Truss paid tribute to the late Monarch as a major figure for Britain who was "still very, very, very loved and treasured". She added that the Queen had wanted to be there doing her duty, "right until the end".
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