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The Queen's final year and her health struggles detailed in new book

Her Majesty died on 8 September

the queen orange
Matthew Moore
Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
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The nation was plunged into mourning earlier this year as the Queen sadly passed away on 8 September, but a new book reveals her bravery in the face of a health condition.

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In Gyles Brandreth's biography of the monarch, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, that will be serialised in the MailOnline, he writes that he heard that Her Majesty was battling a form of bone marrow cancer, called myeloma, and that she bravely faced the health condition during her final months.

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In the book, he writes: "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."

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Gyles was a close friend of the late Prince Philip, and he is likely to have heard the information from a member of the royal family.

The condition doesn’t have a cure but there are multiple treatments that can extend life for many years.

Her Majesty faced mobility issues in the final months of her life, missing several royal engagements, including the State Opening of Parliament, due to the issues.

The Queen meets Liz Truss© Photo: Getty Images

Her Majesty's final appearance saw her greet Liz Truss

Her final official act was to greet the incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss, with some noting her frailty in photos from the meeting.

The official cause of death for Her Majesty was old age, with the death certificate saying that she had passed away at 3:10pm, before some members of her family were able to get to Balmoral.

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It is understood that her eldest children, King Charles and Princess Anne were by their mother's side at the time of her passing.

Other details in the book reveal that the Queen suffered from bouts of "low energy" following the death of her husband Prince Philip in 2021, and that she enjoyed watching Line of Duty in her spare time.

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