LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II died of “old age” at 3:10pm (1410 GMT) on September 8, according to her death certificate released on Thursday, or nearly three-and-a-half hours before the news was announced to the world.

The 96-year-old monarch died at her Balmoral Castle estate in the Scottish Highlands.

Elizabeth was the longest-serving monarch in British history and ruled as head of state for 70 years from 1952.

The certificate released by the National Records of Scotland shows her death was registered on September 16 by the queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne.

Anne said in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on September 13 that she was present during the last 24 hours of her mother’s life.

The certificate lists the queen’s place of death as “Balmoral Castle “; her “usual residence” as Windsor Castle; the name of her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; and the full names of her father king George VI, and mother queen Elizabeth. Under the section marked “occupation”, it says: “Her Majesty The Queen”.

Had the queen died in England, there would have been no requirement to register her death, as the law only applies to the sovereign’s subjects.

But the legislation, which dates back to 1836, does not apply in Scotland, which has a separate legal system to England and Wales and stipulates that “the death of every person” shall be registered.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Increased inflows
Updated 12 Jan, 2025

Increased inflows

Govt must devise a strategy to increase industrial and agricultural productivity to boost exports and reduce reliance on uncertain remittances.
Gwadar’s potential
12 Jan, 2025

Gwadar’s potential

THE Gwadar deep-sea port, completed in 2007, was supposed to be a shining success for the other newly built ports in...
Broken metropolis
12 Jan, 2025

Broken metropolis

KARACHI, Pakistan’s economic juggernaut, is the largest contributor to the nation’s tax revenue. The Federal...
Afghan outreach
Updated 11 Jan, 2025

Afghan outreach

Islamabad should stress stronger counterterrorism measures, yet also engage the Taliban high command in Kandahar as well as politicians in Kabul.
Fragile recovery
11 Jan, 2025

Fragile recovery

STATE Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed appears to be quite optimistic over recent economic gains. That is not unusual;...
Destination Europe
11 Jan, 2025

Destination Europe

THE country’s aviation authorities can rest a little easy. After a four-year banishment from European skies,...