Queen Elizabeth reigned for more than 70 years before she passed away in 2022. She died peacefully at Balmoral in Scotland surrounded by her family, but at the time, the real cause of death was not revealed.
According to several sources, the queen was suffering from bone marrow cancer. Now, her former butler, Paul Burrell, has spoken on it as well, revealing the four brave words Elizabeth’s uttered when she found out that she didn’t have long left.
Queen Elizabeth’s reign saw 15 different prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. Her Majesty will be remembered as one of, if not the most iconic figures in British history. She passed away in September 2022 after her health had deteriorated earlier in the day.
At 6.30pm, Buckingham Palace released the statement of Queen Elizabeth’s death. It was later revealed that she had passed away at 3.10pm.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the statement read.
The flag atop Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast at 6:30 p.m. local time, while an official notice announcing the Queen’s death was posted on the gates to the palace, as is tradition.
Queen Elizabeth
The Queen’s eldest son and heir, Charles – the former Prince of Wales – became King of the United Kingdom and the 14 Commonwealth realms.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” Charles said in a statement later the same evening.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
King Charles added: “During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
Queen Elizabeth was 96 years old at the time of her passing. Several reports concerning her health subsequently came to light, and one of those courtesy of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In his memoir, Unleashed, he recalled his final meeting with the late monarch, claiming she had a form of bone cancer.
“I had known for a year or more that she had a form of bone cancer, and her doctors were worried that at any time she could enter a sharp decline.” He went on to quote the queen’s private secretary, Sir Edward Young, who told him, “She’s gone down quite a bit over the summer,” before the ex-PM began his last audience as prime minister with her.
Queen Elizabeth’s four-word reaction after being told she was going to die
Royal reporter Robert Jobson also touched on the subject in his book Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen. According to him, Queen Elizabeth was “terribly frail” near the end of her life as she battled myeloma, a kind of bone marrow cancer.
After her Platinum Jubily in June 2022, celebrating her 70th year on the throne, Jobson wrote that her health “deteriorated rapidly.”
“She struggled terribly with her eyesight and had low vision,” Jobson reported. “She even had difficulty lifting a full teapot to pour into her cup.”
“She would get terribly frustrated as she hated causing a mess, pouring it over the tray,” a source added. “She asked for a smaller pot and would get frustrated when the staff forgot and brought the big one.”
Now, former royal butler Paul Burrell has shared more details on Queen Elizabeth’s health and how she took the news. He worked as a butler for the Windsors for a long time, and said doctors had at first given a very sad prognosis. They said she probably wouldn’t survive beyond Christmas, 2021 – but Queen Elizabeth had other ideas.
The butler revealed that she reacted with four, brave, words: “Well that’s a shame,” the Mirror reported. Even so, Burrell said the queen was shocked that her life was coming to an end so quickly.
“Can you keep me alive for that”
“Because next year is my Platinum Jubilee year and I’d quite like to have seen that,” Queen Elizabeth continued, asking the doctors if they could help her to fulfill her last request: Being with the public at the Platinum Jubilee, which was just months away.”
“Can you keep me alive for that?” Burrell claimed Queen Elizabeth asked.
He explained: “”She endured blood transfusions and scrupulously followed doctors’ orders, giving up her much-loved gin and tonics, gin and Dubonnets and martinis, and instead having apple juice (and tomato juice on a Sunday as a treat) to help extend her life… They kept her alive to witness this landmark (Platinum Jubilee) in her reign, but she knew through it all that she was dying.”
Queen Elizabeth was truly a remarkable person and monarch. Please share this article on Facebook with friends and family and share us your best memory of her in the comment section.