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