Official records say the longest-reigning monarch in British history died from old age at 96 on September 8, but Gyles Brandreth, writing in “Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait”, claims she had a form of bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma in the last period of her life.
An extract of the biography published in the Daily Mail explores how Brandreth, reportedly a close friend of Prince Phillip, said he had heard Queen Elizabeth II had myeloma, “which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life.”
In the serialization, Brandreth wrote: “The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you’d expect.”
The public was told very little about the Queen’s health during her reign. In her final year on the throne, she did have to cancel several events due to her health, such as not being able to attend the State Opening of Parliament or the 2021 Festival of Remembrance.
Despite this, the monarch continued to be busy right up until her last day. Brandreth writes that her royal duties were the best distraction for the Queen after she was widowed in April 2021.
“When Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria retreated from the world. When Prince Philip died, Queen Elizabeth II went towards it,” he said.
“There is no magic formula that will transform sorrow into happiness, but being busy helps,” Brandreth quotes the Queen as saying.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on any of the claims in the book, per The Times.
