Queen Elizabeth’s Death Certificate Lists Her ‘Occupation' And People Had The Same Doubt

(L) Entry of the late Queen Elizabeth in the Register of Deaths; (R) Queen Elizabeth II prepares to address the United Nations.
March 21 2025, Published 2:13 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign embodied stability, duty, and grace. From her ascent to the throne to her passing at 96, she remained a symbol of steadfast leadership. After her passing in 2022, as her death certificate made the rounds on X (formerly Twitter), one detail about her 'occupation' piqued the interest of netizens.
The document cited her cause of death as ‘old age’ and her name as ‘Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor.’ But what really amused royal enthusiasts was her profession which was listed as 'Her Majesty the Queen.'
In response, a royal watcher quipped, “Since when has King or Queen been an occupation? And if it is, how do I apply?” In a similar vein, a person joked, “Occupation should be ribbon cutting.” As the comments poured in, one also read, “Hell of a certificate! Occupation 'Queen', father 'King'…!!!" Another simply remarked, “Now that’s an occupation you don’t see every day. How surreal for the person who physically typed this document up.”
Many online also created an uproar over her incorrect cause of death. Netizens pointed out that ‘old age’ is not a medically correct term, and suggested replacing it with another word. A person pointed out, “Is 'old age' a normal recorded cause of death? Seems a bit strange to me.” Another echoed, “No working-class person has the cause of death as old age. It's normally heart, cancer, etc., or long Covid.” Meanwhile, a person mocked, “I just have been made aware of an outbreak of old age in the Scottish Highlands. Rest assured this time we are taking the threat seriously and are monitoring the situation closely.” Interestingly, ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims that he had known for over a year that the Queen had bone cancer. In his memoir, Unleashed, he mentioned that the Queen passed away from bone cancer rather than old age. It marked the first time that a British senior politician had commented on her possible cause of death. Naturally, the Palace was deeply upset by the gross violation.
Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully on 8 September 1992. Her funeral service was held at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19, 2022. Later that evening, the Queen was laid to rest beside her husband, Prince Philip, as well as her parents and sister in the Royal Vault of Windsor Castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel. Royal biographer Robert Hardman’s book, The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, shared her final moments before death. He revealed that the Queen died at Balmoral, and Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles spent an hour with her privately at her bedside before she died.