Queen Elizabeth II’s Death Certificate Made No Mention of Cancer
Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022, and plunged the United Kingdom and the rest of the world into mourning. The longest-lived British monarch reigned for nearly 71 years before her death at 96. While Queen Elizabeth II’s death certificate states she died from old age, a biographer claims there was a different cause.
Gyles Brandreth claims Queen Elizabeth II’s death was cancer-related
Gyles Brandreth’s shocking claim in his upcoming biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, has everyone talking. In his biography about Queen Elizabeth II, Brandreth contends that the queen quietly battled a cancer diagnosis in the final years of her life. Brandreth claims the queen had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. The biographer, who has been called a close friend of Prince Philip’s, alleges the diagnosis led the queen to cancel several appearances in the final year of her life.
While Brandreth has been called a “close friend” of Prince Philip, he once questioned that ascertain himself. According to the Sunday Times, Brandreth once said, “The duke showed me great friendliness over 40 years, but royalty offer you friendliness, not friendship.” While it’s clear Brandreth and Prince Philip had a good working relationship, how deep their bond went is hard to say.
Despite the claims in Gyles Brandreth’s book, Queen Elizabeth II’s death certificate states that she died of old age
According to NBC News, the palace released a copy of Queen Elizabeth II’s death certificate on Sept. 29, exactly three weeks after her death. The certificate notes that the queen died at 3:10 pm on Sept. 8 at the age of 96. The certificate listed the queen’s official residence as Windsor Castle, although she died at her summer retreat, Balmoral Castle.
What the certificate doesn’t say is as important as what it does say. Under cause of death, only old age is listed. It is assumed that if the queen had quietly battled cancer, it would be listed as the primary or secondary cause of death. As this is not the case, it’s difficult to substantiate what Brandreath claims in his upcoming biography.
How many people does multiple myeloma affect?
Multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, affects roughly 6,000 people annually in the United Kingdom. According to Cancer Research UK, around 3,000 people per year die from the disease, with just 20% of those diagnosed living for more than 10 years after diagnosis.
The mortality rate for multiple myeloma may be related to the average age at onset. According to The American Cancer Society, the overwhelming majority of those diagnosed with multiple myeloma are over 65. Less than 1% of cases are in people under 35. While the cause of the disease remains largely mysterious, several treatments may extend a patient’s life.
There is no information regarding whether or not the queen underwent treatments if she was, in fact, diagnosed with the disease at some point. Until the palace opts to comment on the queen’s cause of death, the claims made in Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait remain unsubstantiated.
