The late Queen was incredibly close to her family during her life, and Jill Biden, the former First Lady of the United States, has written about the former monarch's living quarters in an extract from her upcoming memoir, View from the East Wing.
In the excerpt, published by People, Jill spoke of the time that she met Queen Elizabeth with her husband, Joe Biden, during a visit to the United Kingdom in 2021. The visit came just months after Elizabeth had lost her late husband, Prince Philip.
Reflecting on the moment, which took place in Windsor Castle, Jill wrote: "Her personal living room was filled with photograph after photograph of members of her family. There was nothing stiff or stuffy about the room, but it held a quiet elegance – much like the queen herself.
"We gazed through the large windows to the wing on the other side of the courtyard. Queen Elizabeth remarked that it was quite busy over there, but her wing was rather hushed."
The former FLOTUS also gave an insight into their meeting, sharing: "British protocol had advised us not to talk about family since her husband, Prince Philip, had died just a few months prior, at the age of 99. So I studiously did not ask the queen about her husband or anything related to the royal family.
"As soon as we began speaking, though, she filled us in on her 11 great-grandchildren and the new one on the way. I was amazed that she poured the tea herself and wanted to talk about foreign policy. She had two new Corgi puppies to help her through the hard times. One came in, and she gave him half a smoked salmon tea sandwich."
© Getty ImagesElizabeth's life after Prince Philip
The late Queen was married to her husband for 73 years, with the pair marrying in 1947 and staying together until the Duke of Edinburgh's death on 9 April 2021.
Insights into how the late monarch continued on with her life following the death of her husband have recently started emerging. Last week, when Her Late Majesty's private rooms at Holyroodhouse were opened, one curator spoke of her breakfast routine.
© Getty Images"She and the Duke of Edinburgh would be here, the Scotsman newspaper would be delivered, also the Radio Times and the Racing Post as well," Richard Williams revealed. "The Queen always knew everything that was going on."
He continued: "After the Duke of Edinburgh passed away, breakfast was the only meal that she would eat by herself, and she would sit in the chair with her back to the fireplace so she could see all the members of staff and people's comings and goings in front of her.
"For other times of the day, she would eat with members of the royal family."
