December 22nd 2023.
Princess Anne has recently revealed to a BBC documentary that her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had been worried about her funeral arrangements should she pass away at Balmoral. The late monarch was concerned that her final days in Scotland would make it difficult to organise her funeral.
In response, Princess Anne and the Royal Family persuaded her to focus on her own comfort and step back from the decision making process. It is the first time the Royal Family has spoken about the arrangements for her death.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch of the United Kingdom, passed away peacefully at Balmoral on September 8th, 2020, at the age of 96. It appears that she wanted to avoid having her passing in Scotland cause any further issues for those implementing London Bridge, the codename for the arrangements for her lying in state, vigils, and grand state funeral.
Anne stated that her mother had been considering other options for her passing, such as Sandringham, Windsor Castle, or even overseas. The plans for Scotland were given the codename Operation Unicorn.
The Princess Royal spoke in detail about the late Queen's thinking during her last days, saying: "I think there was a moment when she felt that it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral. And I think we did try and persuade her that that shouldn't be part of the decision making process. So I hope she felt that that was right in the end, because I think we did."
Anne also said that it was serendipitous that she was at Balmoral before her mother’s death. She revealed that when the Imperial State Crown was removed from her coffin at the end of her funeral, she felt a sense of relief, as it was symbolic of her role passing to Charles.
The 90-minute BBC documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year, narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, gives a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals for the coronation and features contributions from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and close friends. The past 12 months have been a period of momentous change for Charles, who has completed a number of firsts from carrying out his first overseas state visit to Germany to hosting South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa for the inaugural inward state visit of his reign.
Anne praised Queen Camilla for her understanding of her role as consort and the difference it makes to the King, who she says is learning new things about the institution. She said: "Her understanding of her role and how much difference it makes to the King has been absolutely outstanding, and this role is not something she would have been a natural for, but she does it really well. And she provides that change of speed and tone, she’s equally modern."
Talking about the succession, Anne said: "To be honest I’m not sure that anybody can really prepare themselves for that kind of change… not easily. And then the change happens and you go “OK, I now have to get on with it”. Monarchy is a 365 days a year occupation, it doesn’t stop because you change monarchs, for whatever reason."
The coronation of King Charles III is sure to be a historic event, and the documentary is sure to be a fascinating insight into the Royal Family's preparations for it.
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