Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims Queen Elizabeth II suffered from a form of bone cancer before her death.
As part of his forthcoming tell-all memoir ‘Unleashed’, Mr Johnson recalled his last meeting with the monarch, stating he had known about her condition for more than a year.
“I had known for a year or more that she had some form of bone cancer, and her doctors were concerned that she might suffer a sharp decline at any time,” he writes.
‘She appeared pale and more stooped, and she had dark bruises on her hands and wrists, probably from IVs or injections.’
Despite her condition, the former prime minister recalled how sharp her mind still was during that last meeting.
Here, Queen Elizabeth II waits for her photo in the drawing room before receiving then Prime Minister Liz Truss for an audience at Balmoral. This is the last photo taken of the late monarch before her death and was taken on September 6, 2022, the last day Boris Johnson saw her alive
As part of his forthcoming tell-all memoir “Unleashed,” Mr. Johnson said he had known about her condition for more than a year. Pictured here is Mr Johnson meeting the Queen as the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party in 2019
“Every now and then during our conversation she would still flash that big white smile in its sudden, mood-lifting beauty.”
The late queen died on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96, with her time of death at 3:10 p.m.
Bone cancer is considered a rare form of the disease and accounts for less than 1 percent of all cancer cases diagnosed annually, with only about 600 cases.
Age is considered the biggest risk factor for the disease, with people in their late 80s most likely to be diagnosed.
Bone cancer is incredibly deadly. Only about 50 percent of patients are expected to live five years after their diagnosis.
According to the NHS, bone cancer can develop in any bone in the body, but is most commonly found in the long bones of the arms and legs.
Symptoms of bone cancer include persistent bone pain that worsens over time and lasts into the night, swelling and redness of a bone, weak bones that break more easily, and problems with movement.
Treatment, as with most cancers, depends on the stage of the cancer and the patient’s general health.
Surgery to remove the cancerous bone and replace it with an artificial substitute is sometimes possible, although amputation may be necessary.
This can also be combined with cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy to directly target the tumor.
Johnson’s comments are not the first to suggest that Queen Elizabeth II had cancer towards the end of her life.
Gyles Brandreth, a friend of Prince Philip who wrote the biography ‘Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait’, previously told the Daily Mail that the late monarch had a form of bone marrow cancer.
He wrote: ‘I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma – bone marrow cancer – which would explain her fatigue and weight loss, and the ‘mobility problems’ we were often told about in the last year or so of her life.”
‘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.
‘Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment – including medications to help regulate the immune system and medications that help prevent weakening of the bones – can reduce the severity of symptoms and extend patient survival by months to two to three years extend. .’
Officially, the late queen’s death was caused by ‘old age’, according to her death certificate.
Medically speaking, people don’t really die of ‘old age’, with death usually occurring at an advanced age due to another condition that is aggravated by age or by accumulation over time.
Officially, the late queen’s death was caused by ‘old age’, according to her death certificate. The document, signed by Princess Anne as ‘informant’, also states that she died at 3.10 pm. Dr. Douglas James Allan Glass, the Scottish doctor named in the official report, worked for the monarchy for more than 30 years.
For example, a person may have suffered from heart problems for years, but only as he gets older does the heart become so weak that the problem becomes fatal.
Although ‘old age’ may be listed as a contributing factor to a death, official guidelines state that it should only be used as the sole cause of death in very limited circumstances.
There is no official age limit for saying someone has died of ‘old age’, but this is generally only accepted if the person is over 80.
The doctor should also have cared for the deceased for years or months and noticed a general decline in their health and functioning in daily life.
There must also be no clearly identifiable illness or injury that contributed to their death, although “old age” may be listed as a contributing factor.
The final official condition for using ‘old age’ as a cause of death is that the doctor is ‘confident’ that there is no reason for the death to be reported to the coroner for further investigation.
Doctors are often warned not to list ‘old age’ as a cause of death in most circumstances.
This is because the family of the deceased may not feel that ‘old age’ is an adequate reason why their loved one has died.
Doctors may also have to provide evidence of their reasoning to coroners or health and social care regulators if they have any reason to doubt the doctor’s decision.
Attributing deaths solely to ‘old age’ should also be avoided in hospitals, as an older person is unlikely to be in hospital without underlying illness or injury, and so is likely only a contributing factor.
Anyone experiencing persistent, severe or worsening bone pain is encouraged to see their doctor.
Although such problems are unlikely to be bone cancer, it is important that they are investigated.