Queen Elizabeth II’s death certificate baffled Brits upon learning what her official occupation was listed as - and you may be surprised to know what the role entailed.
On September 8, 2022, sovereign Queen Elizabeth II died of old age at Balmoral Castle, aged 96.
Weeks later, her death certificate was made public, revealing that the longest-reigning monarch in British history had died at 3.10pm.
It would be more than three hours before Buckingham Palace, and later King Charles III, released an official statement and the country began a period of mourning.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” the monarch wrote.
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“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
According to a report in The Guardian, Charles, his wife Queen Camilla and his sister Princess Anne were all at Balmoral due to prior engagements in Scotland.
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William, The Prince of Wales, is understood to have reached the castle after 5pm while his younger brother, Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is thought to have arrived before 8pm.
Register General for Scotland, Paul Lowe, confirmed the Queen's death was in Aberdeenshire on her death certificate, while the Princess Royal was responsible for registering her mother’s death.
The death declaration also listed Elizabeth’s full name - Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor - as well as her birthday, April 21, 1926.
Moreover, her marital status was written as ‘Widowed’ following the death of Prince Philip, former Duke of Edinburgh, in April 2021.
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Douglas James Allan Glass is confirmed as the certifying registered medical practitioner on the declaration of death.
The Queen’s apothecary confirmed old age was the cause of his patient’s demise.
However, people looking at Elizabeth’s death certificate for the first time were surprised to discover what her official ‘occupation’ was.
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According to the register of deaths, it was listed simply as: "Her Majesty the Queen.”
Taking to social media to have their say on the subject, one user of X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “The occupation is sending me.”
"If my occupation doesn't have the word ‘Queen’ in it on my death cert I'll haunt you all,” joked someone else.
A third typed: “A unique death certificate. Occupation: Her Majesty The Queen.”
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According to the Royal Family Website, the late royal had a multitude of duties to undertake during her seven-decade reign.
"The Queen’s famous red boxes carried the State papers which Her Majesty was presented with every day of her working life,” the site reads.
"Her duties included formally agreeing to make bills into Acts of Parliament, or laws.
"She also had a special relationship with her Prime Ministers, meeting with them on a regular - usually weekly - basis. She was famously able to ‘encourage or warn’ whilst always remaining politically neutral."
Following his mother’s death, King Charles acceded to the British throne before he and Camilla were coronated at Westminister Abbey on May 6.
Topics: The Queen, Royal Family
Ella Scott