Queen Elizabeth II was pictured in good spirits days before her death.
On Sept. 8, the Queen died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96. Her Majesty's passing came hours after Buckingham Palace shared news that doctors were "concerned" with her health and recommended she "remain under medical supervision."
Ever the dedicated monarch, the Queen kept up with royal engagements in her final days. In fact, she oversaw the handover of power from outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to his successor, Liz Truss, on Sept. 6. The meeting marked the first time during Her Majesty's 70-year reign that the transfer of power took place at Balmoral instead of Buckingham Palace in London.
For the occasion, the Queen wore a light blue cardigan over a matching blouse and plaid skirt. As seen in photos, she carried a walking cane—something that she had been using since October 2021—as she smiled and greeted Truss inside the Scottish estate.
In the wake of the Queen's death, Truss mourned the loss in a statement read outside of her London residence at 10 Downing Street. "Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built," she said. "Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her."
Calling the late monarch the "very spirit of Great Britain," Truss continued, "Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world."
The prime minister also sent her condolences to King Charles, who became king immediately following his mother's death as the heir to the throne. "We offer him our loyalty and devotion just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long," Truss said. "With the passing of the second Elizabethan Age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country exactly as her majesty would have wished by saying the words: God save the King."