Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed that the late Queen was secretly battling bone cancer in the months leading up to her death, raising concerns over health privacy within the Royal Family.
In his forthcoming memoir "Unleashed", Johnson discloses that he had known about the Queen's condition "for a year or more" before her death in September 2022.
The revelation comes as a surprise, as Buckingham Palace had never publicly disclosed the late monarch's cancer diagnosis.
Johnson's account provides new insight into the Queen's final months, during which she continued to fulfil her royal duties despite her declining health.
"Her doctors were worried that at any time she could enter a sharp decline," Johnson writes, shedding light on the gravity of the Queen's condition.
Johnson describes his final meeting with the Queen at Balmoral Castle, just two days before her death.
He writes: "She seemed pale and more stooped, and she had dark bruising on her hands and wrists, probably from drips or injections."
Despite her physical frailty, Johnson notes that the Queen's mind remained "completely unimpaired by her illness".
He recalls: "From time to time in our conversation she still flashed that great white smile in its sudden mood-lifting beauty."
This poignant account offers a glimpse into the Queen's resilience in her final days, as she continued to carry out her constitutional duties despite her deteriorating health.
Johnson's memoir reveals the Queen's determination to fulfil her final duties despite her illness.
He writes: "As Edward Young explained to me later, she had known all summer that she was going, but was determined to hang on and do her last duty: to oversee the peaceful and orderly transition from one government to the next."
Johnson's account also sheds light on the Queen's private struggle.
He notes that her private secretary, Edward Young, had informed him of her declining health over the summer.
The former Prime Minister's revelations provide a rare glimpse into the monarch's personal battle with cancer, which had been kept strictly confidential until now.
Johnson's disclosure is not the first time the Queen's health has been speculated upon.
Royal historian Gyles Brandreth previously claimed in his book that the Queen had a form of myeloma, a bone marrow cancer.
However, Johnson's account carries significant weight due to his position as a former Prime Minister with direct access to the monarch.
The revelation raises questions about royal medical privacy. Buckingham Palace has traditionally been fiercely protective of such information, only releasing details when royals choose to do so themselves.
Dickie Arbiter, the Queen's former spokesperson, had previously stated: "I don't think anyone can confirm whether she did or she didn't [have cancer]. We certainly won't know anything for the next 100 years."
This refers to the practice of keeping royal documents secret for a century.
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