A royal author and friend of Prince Philip has claimed that the late Queen Elizabeth II was diagnosed with a form of bone marrow cancer.
Gyles Brandreth made the statements about Her Majesty’s health struggle in his upcoming book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait.
In a serialisation in the Daily Mail, he 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.
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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.”
Mr Brandreth also talked about the relationship between the Queen and Prince Harry, claiming the monarch was supportive of her grandson’s marriage to Meghan Markle.
However, a royal commentator has since claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not told of the Queen’s struggle with cancer.
Kinsey Schofield, founder and creator of the To Di For Daily podcast, said that the Sussexes were not “trusted” with the information.
In the latest episode of the podcast, Ms Schofield referenced a “very interesting theory”.
She said: “Somebody messaged me today suggesting that perhaps — because I don't know about you, but I've heard these rumours about bone marrow cancer for a very long time now — Gyles got permission from the family to include this in his book to ensure that it wasn't breaking news if Harry included it in Spare, which I think is very intelligent.
"I think that that very much could be it because we've heard the whispers and perhaps the family wanted to control how that information was released.”
The Duke of Sussex’s book is set for publication on January 10, 2023. Spare, which is already a number-one bestseller, will cover Harry’s “personal journey from trauma to healing”.
While the content remains under wraps, the memoir is expected to delve into the Prince’s childhood, his time in the military and serving in Afghanistan, and his life as a husband and father.
Many have speculated that Harry will reveal further insight into his experiences as a royal, particularly following the introduction of Meghan into the fold and the struggles that came about thereafter.
Given the Sussexes’ previous dalliances in the media, which saw the couple repeatedly shine a negative light on the monarchy, the Royal Family have reportedly been in fear of bombshells.
During an episode of Paul Murray Live earlier this month, The Daily Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers claimed many members of the firm are “furious” about the tell-all. “The King would not be the only person to be absolutely furious, looking at the situation that has played out over the last few years,” he said before pointing out that Harry and Meghan have “pretty much got what they wanted” and yet have “just been trashing the Royal Family”.
Mr Myers added: “One would’ve thought that they would’ve just disappeared into the Californian sunset, been happy to make a bit of money and just forge their own life – but no.
“Not only has Meghan been railing against her treatment when she was in the Royal Family — for such a brief period of time — we now have Harry’s book to look forward to.
He concluded: “Is it sort of score-settling, is it a purposeful act that he just wants to get back at his family? I suppose we’ll just have to see. The world will be watching, that’s for sure.”
However, according to Ms Schofield, the Firm has gotten ahead of the Queen’s ill-health revelation through a trusted “family friend”.
Speaking of Mr Brandreth, the commentator said: “Everybody seems to get along with him. He quotes the family members directly in the book several times. It quotes the Queen at times in very private instances.”
The biographer has had long contact with the Royal Family; he has written books about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Duke of Edinburgh and now, Queen Elizabeth.
In June, Camilla was a guest on the author’s fortnightly podcast, Commonwealth Poetry Podcast, which he hosts with his daughter Aphra.
Ms Schofield described Mr Brandreth’s relationship with the royals, saying his book is a “unique opportunity” for royal watchers due to the author’s “close friendships” with members of the family.
She said: “I asked him about it and he said: ‘Oh, no, I would never say that they're my friends,’ but he's being humble. The Queen Consort was on his podcast, he worked really closely with Prince Philip on his book about [him]. This is a man that truly had access to the Queen [and] truly had access to Prince Philip.”
Mr Foufas added: “I am inclined to agree with you that Gyles Brandreth is very much in the know. And I think by him saying: ‘I had heard she had [cancer]’ — he wouldn't write that unless he had been given the approval to write that, as you rightly allude to. And also I don't think he would speculate unless there were some facts behind it.”
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