Despite her advanced age, the death of Queen Elizabeth II stunned the world when she passed away peacefully on September 8, 2022. Very little intimate information was passed on to the public about her death, however, a book released in November provides some specifics. In particular, it includes details from the Queen’s doctor about her final days at Balmoral Castle.
‘Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait’
Details of the Queen’s death and much more were shared by royal writer Gyles Brandreth in a new book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. Brandreth was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative MP for the City of Chester in 1992, serving until 1997. Afterward, he continued to work in journalism, his profession before he took up politics.
He is well known for his publications covering the royal family, including Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage, and Charles and Camilla: Portrait of a Love Affair. His most recent work on Queen Elizabeth includes the perspectives of many who knew her very well, including her personal doctors and family members. Brandreth himself is considered a friend of the royals.
Her final days
The Right Reverend Dr. Iain Greenshields looked after the Queen’s health in her final days, and his commentary was included extensively in Elizabeth. He spent the weekend with her before her death and said, “Her faith was everything to her. She told me she had no regrets.”
Another of her doctors, Douglas James Allan Glass, who was with the Queen when she passed, said that it “was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen.”
According to Brandreth, “The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you’d expect.” He also suspects that she may have had a form of bone marrow cancer which could have caused the drastic decline in her health that was so visible in the final year of her life, although these claims are not substantiated.
Further revelations
The revelations in Elizabeth are not solely focused on the Queen’s health. Regarding the death of Prince Philip, Brandreth said that Elizabeth was determined to be by his side when he died but he, unfortunately, slipped away in his sleep so quickly that staff were unable to wake her in time to do so. What followed was an intense period of grief that she dealt with, in part, by watching the television show Line of Duty to keep her occupied.
One moment that the Queen looked back on fondly, according to Brandreth, was her involvement in the Platinum Jubilee television sketch where she had tea with Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace.
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The two shared a marmalade sandwich that she kept in her purse. Queen Elizabeth described it as “great fun” and was thrilled that it was kept a secret until it was finally broadcasted to the public.