'Queen Elizabeth was at peace and had no regrets before she died', says church minister
6 September 2023, 21:33 | Updated: 7 September 2023, 00:07
The Queen was "at peace" and had "no regrets" in the days before she died, according to a senior church minister who spent time with her.
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Dr Iain Greenshields, who was then Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, stayed at Balmoral last summer, as is traditional.
Speaking ahead of the first anniversary of the Queen's death on September 8, Dr Greenshields said he found the late monarch to be sharp, although more frail than he had expected, when he visited and had several one-on-one conversations.
"It would be normal for a Moderator to talk about matters of faith but I was very interested in how much she wanted to talk about her own," he said.
"It was her Platinum Jubilee year and so she was looking back. She had remarkable recall. She had no regrets and was very much at peace.
"She also mentioned her father - George VI - and the great influence his faith had on her," he told Mail Online.
Dr Greenshields took part in several small dinners with the Queen and a few other guests during his stay at the royal residence.
"At one point in our conversations she went to the window and said 'who would not want to be here'.
"She was in a very peaceful, private place. She was at peace."
When the Queen died, Dr Greenshields delivered the sermon at the service of thanksgiving at St Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh.
He also attended her funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Dr Greenshields said: "When she died, I thought of my mother and how she, too, had spoken about her faith just before she died and that normally she would never do so.
"So, I do wonder if people, even subconsciously, are getting ready for the end. It’s also very common when people are dying to reflect on their parents, as the Queen did."
Prince William and Kate will lead the country in paying tribute to the Queen on the anniversary of her death.
They will also "look forward" from her passing.
King Charles will mark the occasion in private at Balmoral.
