The Queen's final days at Balmoral have been revealed.

Sources close to Her Majesty have revealed Queen Elizabeth II was "rather perky" in her last days as she enjoyed a shooting party with her cousins, had a special dinner and watched her favourite TV weatherman.

Four days before the Queen died, she announced to her cousins - whom she had invited to Balmoral Castle for a couple of days - that their dinner would be informal, The Daily Mail reported.

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their children, Prince Charles, right, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, pose for a photo on the lawn of Balmoral Castle. Photo / AP

That meant no black tie for the men, nor long dresses for the women. However, the most unusual part of the announcement is that there would be no bagpipes being played in the Scottish castle that night.

That was a break in tradition, according to the publication.

Her guests were her Bowes-Lyons cousins, relatives through the Queen Mother's family, and they told the news outlet their cousin, the Queen, was in "good form", adding that she was "perky even".

Another visitor included the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, who visited the late monarch on both Saturday and Sunday before she died. Speaking to the Daily Mail he said she was in "good spirits" and was "absolutely on the ball."

Queen Elizabeth II greets the newly-elected leader of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss, two days before she passed away. Photo / AP

"She was talking about her past, her love for Balmoral, her father, her mother, Prince Philip, horses, very much engaged with what was happening in the church and what was happening in the nation, too," Greenshields said.

"Her health was frail, we knew that, but when I left her on Sunday she was very positive, and I'm just finding it very hard to believe that in those few days things had changed so much."

Another source close to the monarch said the 96-year-old drew strength from those close to her, but another source claimed it wasn't just those close to her.

They went on to tell the Daily Mail that Her Majesty had developed a liking for BBC weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker.

"It was like a bit of a crush; she always wanted to watch the forecasts when he was on," the source said. "She was amused hearing the cadences when his name was read out but she loved watching him, too."

While Her Majesty's final days were spent with those she loved, her final summer was also spent doing the things she loved, including one last ride on a pony.

Queen Elizabeth II poses for a photo with her Fell ponies Bybeck Nightingale, right, and Bybeck Kate. Photo / AP

The Queen was known as an avid animal lover and owned many horses in her career as a race horse owner.

Stud groom Terry Pendry told the Daily Mail the monarch visited her horses at Windsor Castle before going to Scotland and, when asked if she wanted to sit on a pony, she said yes.

Pendry said the Queen did four laps and believed it was the first time she had been on a leading rein since learning to ride.

Unfortunately for the Queen, it was not all good times and happy memories.

The Daily Mail revealed that her final summer at her beloved estate was tainted with sadness following the passing of her oldest and longest-surviving dog, Candy.

At 18 years old, the dachshund-corgi cross breed - known as a dorgi - passed away shortly after the Queen arrived at Balmoral.

The Queen has long had a rule that her dogs are buried at the estate in which they die, however Candy was flown to London and transferred to Windsor where she was buried with another long-serving companion, Vulcan, who passed away in 2020.

Queen Elizabeth's dorgi Candy sadly passed away after she arrived at Balmoral for the summer. Photo / AP

The Daily Mail reported that sources claim on the week of the Queen's passing, there were no "immediate" alarms about her health, but a doctor and nursing staff were kept close by.

Unfortunately by the Wednesday Her Majesty reportedly experienced a "sudden change" in her condition and her heath deteriorated substantially, resulting in castle staff alerting the royal family.

While it is not known what happened in the Queen's final hours and whether she received the last rites, two of her children, Princess Anne and Prince Charles, were by her side at the time of her passing.

The coffin containing the body of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaves Balmoral Castle. Photo / AP

Queen Elizabeth II passed away at 96 on September 8. Her funeral will be held on Monday, September 19. For everything you need to know about Her Majesty's state funeral click here.