Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made a significant and unexpected claim regarding the final years of Queen Elizabeth II’s life, asserting that the late monarch suffered from bone cancer. This revelation comes from Johnson’s memoir, titled Unleashed, and marks a departure from the official narrative surrounding the Queen’s passing.
According to the claims made in the memoir, Queen Elizabeth II had been living with a form of bone cancer for more than a year before her death. Johnson describes being aware of the diagnosis for a year or more, noting that royal doctors were concerned that the Queen could enter a “sharp decline” at any moment.
The Queen died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96 at Balmoral, her Scottish estate. Although Johnson’s account provides a specific medical cause, the official cause of death recorded on her death certificate is listed as “natural causes” or “old age,” according to various reports Newsweek.
The Final Meeting at Balmoral
In his memoir, Johnson details his final encounter with the Queen on September 6, 2022, just two days before her death. He describes meeting her at Balmoral Castle to formally resign from his role as Prime Minister. Johnson writes that Edward Young, the Queen’s private secretary, attempted to prepare him for the meeting, mentioning that the Queen had “gone down quite a bit over the summer.”
Upon entering the drawing room, Johnson notes that the Queen appeared “pale and more stooped.” He specifically mentions seeing “dark bruising on her hands and wrists,” which he speculated were likely the result of drips or injections. Despite these physical signs of illness, Johnson emphasizes that the Queen’s mental faculties remained “completely unimpaired,” and she continued to display her characteristic “great white smile.”
Johnson claims that the Queen was aware of her declining health and “had known all summer that she was going,” yet remained determined to “hang on and do her last duty” ABC News.
Royal Privacy and Official Responses
The disclosure of a cancer diagnosis is highly unusual given the historical secrecy surrounding the health of the British monarchy. Buckingham Palace has a long-standing tradition of fiercely defending the medical privacy of the royal family, unless the individual in question chooses to disclose the information themselves.
There has been no official statement or confirmation from Buckingham Palace or any members of the royal family regarding the claim that Queen Elizabeth II had bone cancer. When approached for comment regarding the assertions made in Unleashed, Buckingham Palace declined to respond ABC News.
This lack of official confirmation stands in contrast to more recent royal health disclosures. For instance, King Charles III chose to be open about needing a procedure on his prostate and subsequently revealed a diagnosis of cancer, although he declined to specify the exact type of cancer he was facing.
Key Details of the Claim
| Detail | Boris Johnson’s Account (Unleashed) | Official Record/Palace Position |
|---|---|---|
| Cause of Death | Bone Cancer | Natural Causes / Old Age |
| Duration of Illness | More than a year | Not disclosed/confirmed |
| Physical State | Pale, stooped, bruising on wrists | Not officially detailed |
| Mental State | Completely unimpaired | Not officially detailed |
The revelation is viewed as particularly unusual not only because of the medical privacy involved, but because meetings between a reigning monarch and the British Prime Minister are traditionally kept confidential.
As the public continues to process the legacy of the UK’s longest-reigning monarch, these claims from a former Prime Minister introduce a new, though unverified, perspective on her final days. For the latest official updates on royal affairs, readers are encouraged to monitor formal statements from Buckingham Palace.
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