[imagesource: Wikimedia Commons]

When the late Queen Elizabeth II’s death certificate was released to the public, the cause of her death was noted as simply old age.

But rumours are now surfacing that she actually had a rare form of cancer.

In his new book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, well-connected author Gyles Brandreth states that the Queen was suffering from myeloma in the last months of her life.

The excerpt is as such, per The Daily Beast:

“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.”

He explained that the cause of death being ruled “old age” made perfect sense as that’s the commonly listed cause “when a patient is over 80 and their doctor has cared for them over time and seen their gradual decline”.

Per PEOPLE, the royal writer also mentioned that the late monarch made peace with her death and documented Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields’ visit at Balmoral the weekend before she died:

“The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you’d expect,” Brandreth writes.

“‘Her faith was everything to her. She told me she had no regrets,’ said Dr. Greenshields, referring to the last weekend he spent with her at Balmoral.”

Brandreth’s book notes Elizabeth’s sudden bout of “low energy” where she “felt exhausted” in the autumn of 2021. Doctors ordered her to “‘rest a bit, not to push herself so much, to take it easy'”.

Heeding this advice, she cancelled several upcoming appearances.

Image: Gyles Brandreth

The book also reveals how the Queen was likely not at Prince Philip’s bedside when he died in April 2021:

“That morning, he went to the bathroom, helped by a nurse. When he came back, he said he felt a little faint and wanted help getting back into bed. The nurse called the Duke’s valet and the queen’s page, Paul Whybrew, for help—and he died before the queen could be called,” Brandreth writes.

He adds that the couple would go “weeks” without seeing each other later in their lives, the queen recognizing that Philip did not want to be “fussed over.” The pandemic bought them back into close living quarters again, and they both enjoyed it, Brandreth said.

Brandreth also mentioned Meghan Markle, and how much the Queen liked her and tried to do “everything to make her feel welcome”.

She reportedly thought Harry was “perhaps a little too in-love” with her.

Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait will be out on December 8.

[sources:dailybeast&people]