Queen Elizabeth II's Final Wish for Great-Grandchildren at Balmoral

In the final months of her life, Queen Elizabeth II expressed a poignant wish to gather all 12 of her great-grandchildren at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, aiming to create joyful memories amid her declining health, according to a new biography by royal author Robert Hardman.

The book, "Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story," details how the late monarch, who died on September 8, 2022, at age 96, prioritized family during the summer of 2022. "The Queen wanted all the great-grandchildren to come up to Balmoral at some point over that summer, even if the Sussexes might not be able to make it," Hardman writes, citing a family friend who explained, "She wanted to make sure that they all had a really happy memory of her." Balmoral, one of the Queen's personally owned residences and a longtime royal retreat, served as the ideal setting for such gatherings, featuring traditions like Highland Games and Ghillies balls that provided fun and relaxation for the children over the extended summer stay.

At the time, the Queen was a great-grandmother to children including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis from Prince William and Catherine, as well as Prince Archie...