In a startling revelation from his memoir, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has disclosed that Queen Elizabeth II was battling bone cancer and was cognizant of her impending demise months before her death.
The Queen, who was the longest-serving monarch in the United Kingdom's history, passed away at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022, at her Scottish estate, Balmoral.
According to Newsweek, the official cause of her death was listed as "natural causes." However, Johnson's memoir paints a different picture, revealing that the Queen had been living with bone cancer and was aware that her time was drawing to a close. Johnson's memoir, serialized in a prominent publication, provides a poignant account of his last encounter with the Queen, two days prior to her death, when he formally resigned his position.
In his memoir, Johnson wrote, "Edward Young, her private secretary, attempted to brace me for the inevitable. I had been aware for over a year that she was suffering from a form of bone cancer, and her physicians were concerned that her health could rapidly deteriorate at any moment." He further detailed the Queen's physical condition, noting her pale complexion, stooped posture, and bruised hands and wrists, likely from medical procedures. Despite her physical frailty, Johnson emphasized that her mental acuity remained unimpaired, and her signature radiant smile still had the power to uplift moods.
Johnson's decision to disclose the Queen's diagnosis is expected to stir controversy within the walls of Buckingham Palace. The royal family is traditionally protective of their medical privacy, with information typically only disclosed if the royal in question opts to share it. For instance, King Charles was forthcoming about his prostate procedure and cancer diagnosis, while Princess Kate only disclosed her abdominal surgery and subsequent cancer diagnosis amidst a social media frenzy.
As reported by Newsweek, the palace has never publicly acknowledged that the Queen was aware of her impending death months in advance. Johnson's memoir, however, contradicts this, stating, "As Edward Young later explained to me, she had known all summer that her end was near, but was resolved to fulfill her final duty: to ensure a smooth and orderly transition from one government to the next."
Johnson is not the first to claim that the Queen had cancer. Royal historian Giles Brandreth made a similar assertion in his book. However, the level of insider knowledge a serving prime minister possesses about the royal family is unparalleled. Brandreth wrote in his 2022 book, "I had heard that the Queen had a form of myelomabone marrow cancer. 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."
The Queen's former spokesperson, Dickie Arbiter, underscored the monarchy's expectation of privacy, stating, "I don't think anybody knows what it was. The death certificate said 'old age.' I don't think anyone can confirm whether she did or she didn't [have cancer]. It's a conversation that [King] Charles had with a doctor who said, 'I believe that.' So he didn't know either. We certainly won't know anything for the next 100 years."
The secrecy surrounding royal documents, which remain confidential for a century, compared to government documents that are released after 20 years, further underscores the monarchy's commitment to privacy. This revelation from Johnson's memoir, therefore, offers a rare glimpse into the final months of Queen Elizabeth II's life, a period marked by her unwavering commitment to duty, even in the face of personal adversity.
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