Queen Elizabeth II was "perky" but eating sparingly and struggling with stairs in her final days, it is reported today.
The longest-serving British monarch, who died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle last Thursday, remained on "good form" in her last days, and hosted an informal dinner with cousins in the castle dining room on Sunday September 4.
"Although frail, she remained alert and chatty almost until the end," said royal expert and journalist Richard Kay.
