The Last Time Queen Elizabeth Saw Her Father King George VI Before He Died and She Became Monarch

Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth

The last time Queen Elizabeth saw her father King George VI, he was cheering her on from the tarmac as she and Prince Philip embarked on their royal tour in 1952.

Days later, the royal heir and her husband Philip were visiting Kenya when they received news that the King was found dead in his bed at Sandringham House in Norfolk on the morning of February 6, 1952, at the age of 56 — making his eldest daughter the new monarch. He previously suffered from lung cancer and had a lung removed; it was later determined that he had died of coronary thrombosis.

The final time that King George and Princess Elizabeth, then 25, were together was six days prior on January 31, when he went to London Airport to see the couple off on their Commonwealth tour, which was slated to include visits to Australia and New Zealand, representing the King who was too ill to travel.

King George was joined by his wife, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and younger daughter, Princess Margaret, in saying goodbye to the couple aboard the plane and waving goodbye from the tarmac.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Penned a Heartfelt Letter to the Vet Who Cared for Her Beloved Corgi, Susan

Shutterstock King George VI

The family then gathered on a rooftop to watch the plane take off. In photos, Prime Minister Winston Churchill can be seen inside watching through glass doors.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were enjoying a relaxing, wildlife-watching stop in Kenya after a week of official engagements on that fateful day, staying at the treehouse perched in an enormous fig tree in Aberdare National Park. Due to their remote location, they did not get the news immediately.

AP/Shutterstock The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and King George VI

Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin of Prince Philip and one of the couple's bridesmaids at their wedding, was a witness to history during the trip. She recalled in her book Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten, "We must have been among the last people in the world to hear the news."

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Shares Throwback Photo With King George VI in Honor of Father's Day

Lady Pamela said that the morning in Kenya had been "very easy" and that the unknowing new monarch was penning a letter to her father "about all the wonderful sights she had seen" shortly before she received word of his death.

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Royal family and Winston Churchill gathers to watch Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip depart for Kenya

"They had been fishing and riding but the climax of it was a night up the tree to look at the game. She had her cine camera with her and for her it was the absolute highlight," Lady Pamela previously told PEOPLE. "And had been tremendously excited by all the game we had seen. She kept talking about how she was going to write to her parents and describe it all."

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! 

Keystone/Getty

As Lady Pamela previously put it, "She went up that ladder a princess and came down a queen."

There followed the difficult flight home. "When we landed in England and seeing Winston Churchill and others drawn up on the tarmac, there was this sudden realization that this was the end of her private life," Lady Pamela added.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022, making her eldest son King Charles III.