Princess Anne Says Queen Elizabeth Worried Dying at Balmoral Would Make Things 'Difficult'

The Princess Royal shares the story in the upcoming BBC documentary 'Charles III: The Coronation Year'

The royal family persuaded the late Queen Elizabeth that she should stay at Balmoral Castle when she became seriously ill.

The Queen died at her beloved Scottish home on September 8, 2022 – with her daughter Princess Anne at her bedside.

In a new documentary, Anne recounts how the Queen worried that it would be more complicated for others if she passed away there. In the upcoming special Charles III: The Coronation Year, which airs on BBC and iPlayer on Dec. 26, the Princess Royal says the family argued that practical issues like that shouldn’t be her concern.

“I think there was a moment when she felt it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral. I think we did try to persuade her that that shouldn’t be part of the decision-making process,” Anne tells the documentary, according to The Daily Telegraph. “So I hope she felt that was right in the end, because we did.”

Sources told PEOPLE at the time of the late Queen’s death that it had been fitting that she spend her last hours at Balmoral because it was such a special place for her and her family.

And Princess Anne, 73, reiterates what a special place Balmoral is for the family.

“We spent a lot of time there in our youth and a lot of it was probably a more independent life than anywhere else,” she says.

Related: King Charles Cracks an Unexpected Joke on the Morning of His Coronation in New Documentary

In a poignant moment in the upcoming special, the Princess Royal describes how she felt when the crown jeweler removed the Imperial State Crown from her mother’s coffin, signifying how leadership now passed to her elder brother, King Charles.

“When he takes the crown off the coffin, I rather weirdly felt a sense of relief," she says. "Somehow that’s it, finished. That responsibility being moved on.”

Speaking of her brother, who became King upon their mother's death on Sept. 8, she added, “To be honest, I’m not sure that anybody can really prepare themselves for that kind of change, at least not easily. And then the change happens and you go: ‘OK, I now need to get on with it.’ ”

Related: King Charles Mourns Mother Queen Elizabeth in Official Statement: 'Moment of the Greatest Sadness'

In other clips that have been released ahead of the broadcast, Charles is seen walking down a corridor in Buckingham Palace on the morning of his May 6 coronation supported by his page boys, including grandson Prince George, 10. As he approaches his close aide, Charles flaps his coronation robes and tells his equerry in a silly voice, "I can fly!"

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The documentary also features interviews with key players from the coronation, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, who (to Charles’ delight!) is seen fluffing his lines during the run-through of a prayer at the coronation rehearsal. Queen Camilla's sister Annabel Elliot also appears and recaps the wonder, and emotion, of seeing the couple leaving for the coronation ceremony.

"When I thought back to being 2 years old and watching the [the late Queen Elizabeth's] coronation on a tiny black and white television and there goes this golden coach with my sister in it," she says in the documentary. "I can't explain the feeling because it’s so surreal. This cannot be happening. It was quite a moment."

Charles III: The Coronation Year premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on Dec. 26.

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