The Queen ‘ultimately died from a broken heart’, claims royal expert

The Queen ‘ultimately died from a broken heart’ and was ‘never the same’ after the death of her beloved Prince Philip, a royal expert has claimed. 

Speaking on Entertainment Tonight, Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, said of Her Majesty’s death: ‘I think she ultimately died of a broken heart really.

‘She was never the same after Philip went… He was, she said, her strength and stay. He supported her in everything she did in life.’

Ms Nicholl added: ‘I think it’s fair to say that she wouldn’t be the queen she was without the support of Philip.’ 

It was revealed earlier this week that the Queen’s final resting place has been marked with a simple slab reuniting her for eternity with her adored husband and parents.

The 96-year-old sovereign was interred in a moving private ceremony at King George VI Memorial Chapel, part of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, on Monday night.

There, a ledger stone – an inscribed slab laid into the floor – had previously been marked with the names of the Queen’s parents in gold lettering on black Belgian marble. 

Buckingham Palace revealed that a new slab was installed overnight with the names of the late monarch, her husband and parents along with the dates of their births and deaths.

The Queen and Prince Philip pictured in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, where they spent lockdown, in 2020

In order, it reads: George VI 1895-1952, Elizabeth 1900-2002, Elizabeth II 1926-2022, Philip 1921-2021.

Between the two couples is a single metal Garter Star, the insignia of the Order of the Garter, the country’s oldest and most noble order of chivalry.

All four were members of the order and St George’s Chapel, where the memorial chapel is situated, is its spiritual home.

The humble stone annexe, which can be viewed through a metal gate inside St George’s Chapel, also contains the ashes of the late monarch’s sister, Margaret.

The public will be able to view the Queen’s final resting place from next week but will have to pay for the privilege, it can be revealed.

The chapel, which is currently closed during the period of royal mourning, will reopen to visitors on Thursday September 29 as part of a general tour of Windsor Castle, costing up to £28.50 for adults and £15.50 for children.

The Castle is only open five days a week from Thursday through to Monday – but St George’s Chapel is closed to the public on Sundays as it is a living place of worship.

Despite her advancing years, the Queen still wished for all her grandchildren to visit her at Balmoral

Castle tours are run by the Royal Collection Trust (RCT), a registered charity and a department of the Royal Household. No profits are kept by the Royal Family.

Income generated from admissions and other commercial activities is used for the upkeep of the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact.

Katie Nicholl’s new book claimed the Queen was left ‘hurt and exhausted’ by Harry and Meghan’s decision to step down as senior members of the Royal Family and move to the US.

In The New Royala, the author says a source close to Her late Majesty claimed she didn’t like to think about the Duke and Duchess’s decision to leave the family.

An extract of the book, which has been published in Vanity Fair, has revealed the Queen was also disappointed when Harry and Meghan didn’t return to the UK in August with Archie and Lilibet, where she was hosting an annual ‘sleepover’ in Sandringham with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The source told the author: ‘[The Queen] was very hurt and told me, “I don’t know, I don’t care, and I don’t want to think about it anymore”.’

The source added it was of more regret to Her late Majesty that the Sussexes’ move meant she did not have the opportunity to see as much of Archie and Lilibet as she’d have liked.