Queen Elizabeth II was “bright and focused” in her final assembly with Boris Johnson days earlier than she died, the previous prime minister stated.
Last Tuesday, Mr Johnson tendered his resignation at Balmoral earlier than the Queen appointed Liz Truss as his successor.
Two days later, on Thursday afternoon, the Queen died aged 96 on the fortress in Scotland.
A photograph taken by a PA Media photographer Jane Barlow confirmed a frail Queen with bruised pores and skin on her hand as she greeted Ms Truss.
Soon after, her household have been referred to as to her bedside at Balmoral earlier than her demise was introduced hours later.
In the final of the BBC’s sequence of interviews with former prime ministers, Mr Johnson described the final assembly he had with the longest-reigning monarch.
He stated: “The last audience I had with her – one of the reasons why it was so shocking to hear about her death was because, in that audience, she had been absolutely on it just two days before her death.
“And she was actively focused on geopolitics, on UK politics, quoting statesmen from the 50s – it was quite extraordinary.”
To the query as as to whether the Queen “seem[ed] well”, he added: “She seemed very bright, very focused – look, I’m – she was clearly not well.
“And that was the thing that I found so moving when I – we – all heard about her death two days later. I just thought how incredible that her sense of duty had kept her going in the way that it had.”
He stated that it was a “pretty emotional time” when he heard of her demise.
Ms Bruce requested Mr Johnson if he was ever too busy to attend his weekly viewers with the Queen.
“No, you must be joking,” he stated earlier than describing the conferences with the monarch as “a fantastic break from everything else” and “a wonderful moment of tranquillity”.
As per custom, the prime minister has common conferences with the Queen to maintain her up to date on authorities issues.
Mr Johnson was the 14th prime minister to take workplace throughout her 70-year reign, earlier than she appointed Ms Truss because the fifteenth.
Now these conferences will happen between Ms Truss and the Queen’s son, King Charles III.
The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, died in April final yr and was laid to relaxation every week later at a funeral within the non-public chapel in Windsor Castle.
The congregation wore masks and was socially distanced according to Covid guidelines on the time, with the Queen sitting alone.
It later emerged that lockdown-busting events have been held in Downing Street on the eve of the funeral.
“How did you two get past that?” Mr Johnson was requested.
He stated: “Because of her great sense of constitutional function she never got into that sort of conversation.
“She was really absolutely focused on what she saw as the important issues. It’s a very trusting environment, the audience with Her Majesty. So that never came up.”
In July, Mr Johnson introduced his resignation after three years in workplace as a series of scandals – together with Partygate – noticed his authorities flip in opposition to him.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk