The Queen 'had bone marrow cancer' before death, royal biographer claims

28 November 2022, 12:17 | Updated: 7 September 2023, 11:42

The Queen 'had bone marrow cancer' before death, royal biographer claims
The Queen 'had bone marrow cancer' before death, royal biographer claims. Picture: Getty/ITV
Alice Dear

By Alice Dear

The Queen died on 8th September 2022, with her death certificate registering the cause of her death as 'old age'.

The Queen reportedly had a form of bone marrow cancer leading up to her death.

This is according to royal biographer and close friend of the royals, Gyles Brandreth, who has detailed Queen Elizabeth II's health struggles in a new book.

In Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, Gyles says that he "heard" that the Queen had myeloma.

The extract reads: "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 Queen is pictured at Balmoral Castle days before her death
The Queen is pictured at Balmoral Castle days before her death. Picture: Getty

The NHS website has the following description for myeloma: "Multiple myeloma, also known as myeloma, is a type of bone marrow cancer.

"Bone marrow is the spongy tissue at the centre of some bones that produces the body's blood cells.

"It's called multiple myeloma as the cancer often affects several areas of the body, such as the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs."

Gyles pictured with King Charles earlier this year at the Big Jubilee Lunch at the Oval in London
Gyles pictured with King Charles earlier this year at the Big Jubilee Lunch at the Oval in London. Picture: Getty

In the year leading to the Queen's death, the Monarch slowly began to pull out of royal engagements due to mobility issues, including some which meant a great deal to her, for example, the Royal Memorial Day Service.

Hello! have reported that Gyles "is likely to have heard the information from a member of the Royal Family".

The author and This Morning star was a close friend of Prince Philip's prior to his death at the age of 99.

The Queen passed away on 8th September at Balmoral Castle, with the State Funeral taking place a week later at Westminster Abbey.

Read more: