- The late Queen worried dying at Balmoral would complicate her funeral, Princess Anne said.
- In a new BBC documentary, Anne said the family persuaded the late monarch that this didn't matter.
Right up until her death, it seems Queen Elizabeth II didn't want to make a fuss.
The late monarch died at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle, the royal family's Scottish estate. Elizabeth spent every summer at the 50,000-acre residence in Aberdeenshire, and Princess Eugenie once said she thought her grandmother was "the most happy there."
But, according to her daughter Princess Anne, the Queen was concerned that dying at Balmoral would cause an inconvenience.
The Princess Royal made the revelation in a new BBC documentary, "Charles III: The Coronation Year," airing in the UK on BBC One at 6:50 p.m. local time on December 26.
"I think there was a moment when she felt that it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral," she said during the film, according to The Guardian. "And I think we did try and persuade her that that shouldn't be part of the decision-making process."
Representatives for Buckingham Palace did not respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.
'Operation Unicorn' laid out comprehensive plans for the Queen's death in Scotland
Plans for the Queen's death — drawn up under the codename "Operation London Bridge" — had been in the making for decades. There were also plans for the possibility of the Queen dying in Scotland, known as "Operation Unicorn."
The latter plans included the Queen's casket being driven from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, her residence in Edinburgh, before a procession through the streets of the Scottish capital to St Giles' Cathedral.
At St Giles', the Queen's children Charles, Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward held a vigil after a Service of Thanksgiving. Members of the public could also visit the cathedral to pay their respects. About 20,000 people showed up, as the BBC reported at the time.
The Queen's casket was then transported from St Giles' to Edinburgh Airport. Anne flew with her mother's coffin to RAF Northolt and on its journey from there, via a hearse, to Buckingham Palace.
The next day, Anne joined her brothers in a procession behind the Queen's casket from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the Queen laid in state for four days before her funeral.
As in Scotland, members of the public were free to visit Westminster Hall during this time. Some 250,000 people queued to see the Queen's casket, the Associated Press reported at the time.
On September 19, 2022, the day of the Queen's funeral, there was a procession before and after the service at Westminster Abbey. The funeral was attended by approximately 2,000 people and watched by 28 million in the UK, according to figures from the BBC.
Following the funeral, the Queen's hearse traveled to Windsor Castle for a Committal Service before her burial at St George's Chapel.
Anne played an important role in the days following her mother's death, as she accompanied her casket from Balmoral to her burial in Windsor.
In a tribute dedicated to her mother shared with Business Insider shortly after the Queen's death, Anne said it was an "honor and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys."