Queen Elizabeth II spent her last summer at her Highland estate Balmoral, where she spent the final weeks of her life in happiness surrounded by friends and family.
Balmoral was said to be the late Queen’s favourite home and is where she and husband the late Prince Philip were at their happiest.
It’s thought that the Highland estate offered great comfort to the Monarch following her husband’s passing in 2021.
Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, a clergyman who visited the Queen just days before her death described the monarch as "full of fun" and "the life and soul of things".
Greenshields, who is Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly, had dinner on Saturday evening and lunch on Sunday afternoon with Her Majesty, alongside her children Charles, 73, and Princess Anne, 72.
Speaking to The Times he said: "It was a fantastic visit. Her memory was absolutely amazing and she was really full of fun".
Continuing, Greenshields added: “"She was the life and soul of things. She was speaking very personally to me about her time there way back when she was a child, she was talking about her horses from the past, naming them from 40 years ago, people’s names and places."
The previous weekend, the Very Rev Dr Martin Fair, 58, who has been minister at Arbroath St Andrews for 30 years, stayed as her guest at Balmoral.
He said: “I found her to be bright and in very good spirits, so I was sad to hear the announcement about her deterioration. We were in her sitting room and in the dining room as part of a family gathering — it was a privilege to be part of it.”
The Queen arrived in the Scottish Highlands in late July first staying at the smaller seven-bedroom Craigowan Lodge on Royal Deeside, before transferring to Balmoral Castle a mile away on August 9.
She arrived in Scotland alongside her loyal staff members who remained with her to the very end, with Charles, Camilla, and Princess Anne joining her later.
Among her loyal staff were Page of the Backstairs Paul Whybrew – 'Tall Paul' – and Barry Mitford, her Serjeant-at-Arms, who would bring her a copy of the Racing Post every morning and sit by her side to watch some of her favourite sport on television.
Also by her side was Angela Kelly, her right-hand woman with the title of Personal Assistant, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty The Queen.
Fiercely protective of the Queen, Angela had been dubbed ‘AK47’, and is said have been ensuring that the Queen did not over-exert herself.
A source, with knowledge of the goings on at Balmoral, told the Daily Mail that the Queen spent her last few weeks enjoying the country life she adored.
Just days ago they told the paper: “It's been a very typical and jolly summer at Balmoral, lots of walks and picnics and BBQs.
“It has followed the pace long set by the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh. Obviously the Queen hasn't been present throughout but she has taken part and been seen.”
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent many happy summers in the Scottish Highlands.
The pair were married for 73 years, and had four children together, the new King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.
Just days ago the Queen had met with the outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, respectively.
It was here that she formally appointed Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister with a special audience at Balmoral – making it the first in history to be held outside of London or Windsor.
Here, in the final photos taken of the Queen, she seemed to be in good spirits, dressed in a white shirt with a grey blazer for the occasion, which she paired with a grey, black and red tartan skirt.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair revealed that he had lunch with the Queen a few months ago.
He said: “We sat next to each other and she was on sparkling form as we talked — warm, gracious, humorous and spirited.”
Alister Jack, the Conservative MP and secretary of state for Scotland, said that he attend an event with Her Majesty in the first week of July and also described her as being in “sparkling form.”
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