Queen Elizabeth II was “battling” serious illness in the last few months before her death, according to a new biography.
Alhough the Queen’s official cause of death is listed as old age, Gyles Brandreth, a friend of Prince Philip, has claimed Her Majesty in fact succumbed to a rare form of bone marrow cancer.
Mr Brandreth’s claims have been revealed in a new biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, in which he writes: “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.
“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 book, which is serialised by the Daily Mail, also claims the late monarch suffered periods of low energy while also inisting to aides she was determined to stay busy after her husband’s death in April last year.
Her biographer also writes that, when the Queen felt weaker, she would fill her days by watching BBC drama Line of Duty.
“My husband would certainly not have approved,” she is claimed to have said.
Months before her death, the Queen’s health was a concern after a string of event cancellations due to mobility issues.
During her Platinum Jubilee last summer, the late monarch was forced to miss events due to health troubles.
The revelations come just one day after Camilla, the Queen Consort, delivered more than 1,000 Paddington bear toys that were left in tribute to the late Queen to vulnerable children.
The royal said it was a “pleasure” to help the stuffed toys get new homes with children cared for by Barnardo’s charity at Bow day nursery in east London.
She visited the nursery and held a picnic complete with Paddington’s signature marmalade sandwiches.
Thousands of toys were left by members of the public at the Long Walk in Windsor and outside Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s 10-day mourning period.
As she departed, Camilla told the children and nursery staff: “It has been a pleasure to find a home for these bears – please look after them carefully.”
