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The Queen had battled painful cancer in the last year of her life, a friend of Prince Philip has claimed in a new book.
Gyles Brandreth, writing in Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, shed light on the late monarch’s “stoicism”.
He claimed that she suffered from a form of bone marrow cancer in her later years.
The Queen’s death certificate had said she had died of ‘old age’.
He also confirmed that only the Princess Royal would have been at Her Majesty’s side in her final moments.
The death certificate, published by National Records of Scotland, listed the Queen’s time of death as Thursday September 8 at 3.10pm.
Quotes from Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait have been obtained by MailOnline suggesting what caused the monarch’s deteriorating health.
According to the outlet, Mr Brandreth wrote: ‘I had heard the Queen had a form of myeloma – cancer of the bone marrow – which would explain her fatigue and weight loss and these ‘mobility issues’ of which we have often been told in the last year or so of his life.
“The most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, particularly in the pelvis and lower back, and multiple myeloma is a disease that often affects older people.
“Currently there is no known cure, but treatment – including drugs to help regulate the immune system and drugs that help prevent weakening of the bones – can reduce the severity of his symptoms and prolong patient survival of several months or two to three years.
The royal biography, serialized in the Daily Mail, also explained how the Queen was forced to ‘carry on’ following the death of her beloved husband.
The late monarch was said to have found ‘new comfort’ with Prince Philip in each other’s company during lockdown.
Once the restrictions were lifted, they traveled to Scotland and Sandringham, as well as Windsor.
The biography also detailed the Queen’s “determination” to be with Prince Philip when he died.
He claimed she “hardly left his side” in the last weeks of her life.
A period of ‘intense personal grief’ soon followed, but the Queen reportedly found enormous comfort in those close to her and believed it was her ‘Christian duty’ to continue.
‘Life goes on. This is also the case,” she said.
Her Majesty’s love of Line of Duty helped distract her, with such TV dramas working to “keep spirits up” following the Duke of Edinburgh’s death.
But it’s believed she struggled at times to keep up with the plot, which saw stars like Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar try to fight corruption,
The Queen also disliked the constant “muttering” about this and other programs.
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