Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, the head of state for more than 70 years. Her death was a great shock in the UK and the world.
MailOnline reported that Her Majesty's death certificate was recently revealed to the public, certified by the local GP and apothecary to the Household of Balmoral, Dr. Douglas Glass, and was signed by Princess Royal.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives for the state banquet in her honor at Schloss Bellevue palace on the second of the royal couple's four-day visit to Germany on June 24, 2015, in Berlin, Germany.
Her Majesty's Declining Health
Earlier that day, on September 8, Buckingham Palace announced on their website a statement that "the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision." They noted that the Queen remained comfortable at the Balmoral estate, and no other details were further given to the public.
In February this year, the Queen tested positive for COVID-19 but eventually recovered. She suffered mild cold-like symptoms during her ordeal with COVID-19. A video call in February 2021 with health officials confirmed that Queen Elizabeth had been injected with the vaccine and booster shot.
Moreover, Her Majesty also suffered back pain over the years and knee surgery in the 2000s. October last year, Buckingham palace said that the Queen was admitted to hospital for an overnight stay for "preliminary investigations."
Even before the Queen's death, she had already been suffering from "mobility issues" that she had to use a cane and delegate more duties to her son and heir, Charles (now King Charles III).
Queen Elizabeth Died of Old Age
The death certificate showed that the cause of Her Majesty's death was due to old age. The 96-year-old monarch died at Balmoral Castle on Thursday, September 8, at 3:10 pm before all her children and grandchildren arrived, MailOnline reported.
The certificate was signed by Dr. Glass, who had the Apothecary to the Queen title and had acted as Charles' physician since 2019 when he made an official visit to Germany. Dr. Glass had served the Queen for 34 years since his appointment to Her Majesty's Household at Balmoral in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 1988.
That means old age as a cause of death is acceptable in this case as the Queen's cause of death because Dr. Glass has cared for Her Majesty for a long time.
What Happens to the Body When It Dies?
According to Cleveland Clinic, death marks the time when the physical body stops working. Some changes in the body's vital signs may occur before it completely stops. The person may feel sleepy and have lesser physical activity, decreased appetite and thirst, inability to control bowel and bladder, breakdown of muscle and skin, anhedonia, declining vital signs, and many others.
When a person takes their last breath, their brain will stop, and so does their vital organs, like the kidneys and liver. All body systems relying on these organs shut down, so they can no longer carry out ongoing processes found in the living.
Watch the video below from SciShow to learn how the aging process contributes to death:
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