“Remarkably, she was still writing in her diary at Balmoral two days before her death,” Hardman explained. “Her final entry was as straightforward and matter-of-fact as always.”
“It was as if she were describing another routine working day—‘Edward came to see me’—while noting the preparations her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, had made for the swearing-in of ministers under the new Truss administration,” Hardman added.
The Queen’s diary was a record of her daily activities rather than her personal reflections or emotions. Hardman pointed out that Elizabeth once told society diarist Kenneth Rose, “I don’t have time to record conversations, only events.”
Queen Elizabeth II was not the first monarch to keep a personal journal during her reign. Queen Victoria, who passed in 1901, famously wrote over 60 million words across diaries spanning nearly 70 years.
Elizabeth drew inspiration from her father, King George V, who also kept a detailed diary throughout his life.
Similarly, King Charles has carried on the tradition. Hardman notes that while the King, now 75, no longer keeps extensive narrative diaries as he once did, he continues to jot down his daily thoughts and observations.
A senior courtier revealed to The Telegraph that Charles’ current writing style is less introspective and entertaining than the journals he kept as Prince of Wales. However, he still makes time to reflect and document his experiences.
