STOIC TILL THE END: Queen Elizabeth II silently battled painful terminal cancer, new biography claims
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: A new book written by Prince Philip's acquaintance reportedly claimed that Queen had cancer during the final year of her life. According to reports, the Queen suffered from a type of bone marrow disease, the primary symptom of which is aching bones. The information about her health struggles is mentioned in author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth's upcoming biography, 'Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait'.
The Queen's cause of death was listed as "old age" on her death certificate, which was made public in September. Brandreth wrote, "I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — 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," as per The Sun.
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"The most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, especially in the pelvis and lower back, and multiple myeloma is a disease that often affects the elderly. Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment — including medicines to help regulate the immune system and drugs that help prevent the weakening of the bones — can reduce the severity of its symptoms and extend the patient’s survival by months or two to three years," the former MP wrote, as per New York Post.
The royal biography, which is being serialized by the Daily Mail, also described the Queen's extraordinary stoicism in her final months. According to reports, she revealed to a lady-in-waiting that she was determined to stay busy because it would help her deal with Philip's death. She reportedly did not want to resort to self-pity, adding, "My husband would certainly not have approved."
However, Brandreth said that she pushed herself so hard that by fall, she low energy suddenly and was told by doctors to rest. “I’ve got to be sensible,” she eventually acknowledged of her declining health. Even though she occasionally had trouble following the plot, television shows such as the BBC drama 'Line of Duty' helped her keep her spirits up.
The book also claimed that she did not hesitate to remove Prince Andrew from his position after his car crash interview concerning Jeffrey Epstein in 2019. A senior courtier revealed, "The Queen took a firm grip of things. To use the military jargon, there were only few days between flash and bang. Action was called for it and she took it."
She did, however, consent to having her "favourite son" stand beside her during Philip's funeral and allowed herself to be photographed travelling in the car with him the day after he was released of his duties. She appeared to be paying close attention as the Duke of York attempted to explain his relationship to Epstein, responding solely with the remark "intriguing."