Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made a striking revelation about Queen Elizabeth II's health in his latest memoir, Unleashed. Johnson claims that the Queen had been battling bone cancer for over a year before her death in September 2022 at the age of 96. His disclosures offer a rare glimpse into the private struggles of the monarch, whose death marked the end of a historic 70-year reign.

“I had known for more than a year that she had a form of bone cancer, and her doctors were worried that at any time she could enter a sharp decline,” Johnson wrote in his memoir, which was published on October 2. The former Prime Minister describes his final audience with the Queen, where he noted that she appeared "pale and more stooped" with visible bruising on her hands and wrists. Despite these physical signs of illness, Johnson emphasized that her mental sharpness remained intact. "Her mind...was completely unimpaired,” he wrote, highlighting her characteristic smile, which he described as "sudden mood-lifting beauty."

Johnson's claims have reignited interest in Queen Elizabeth's health during her final months, a subject that had been largely kept private by the royal family. The official cause of her death was listed as "old age," and Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on Johnson’s revelations.

While Johnson’s memoir provides new details, this is not the first time claims about the Queen’s cancer battle have surfaced. In Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, royal reporter Robert Jobson also suggested that the late Queen had been suffering from myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer, in her final years. According to Jobson, Queen Elizabeth’s health deteriorated rapidly after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, where she marked her 70th year on the throne.

Jobson wrote that the Queen had struggled with poor eyesight and fatigue, which made even simple tasks like pouring tea difficult. “She asked for a smaller teapot and would get frustrated when the staff forgot and brought the big one,” a source close to the Queen told Jobson. Despite these challenges, Elizabeth remained committed to her royal duties, even attending the jubilee festivities against the advice of her doctors.

“The final appearance took real courage,” Jobson wrote, referring to the Queen’s last public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Though in "constant pain," she was determined not to disappoint her people, a testament to her sense of duty.

Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, a place she had long cherished. In a speech to Scotland’s parliament just days before Johnson's memoir release, her son, King Charles III, spoke about the significance of Balmoral to his mother. “My late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral, and it was there, in the most beloved of places, where she chose to spend her final days,” Charles said.

Johnson, in his memoir, elaborates on the Queen’s state during those final weeks, stating that she had been aware of her fate. “She had known all summer that she was going,” he wrote, adding that she was determined to oversee the smooth transition of leadership from him to his successor, Liz Truss.

While Boris Johnson and Robert Jobson’s accounts differ in some details, both paint a picture of a determined and resilient Queen who, even in her final days, was dedicated to fulfilling her royal duties despite her personal suffering. Jobson revealed that King Charles had persuaded his mother to make her final balcony appearance “for the sake of history,” knowing the symbolic importance of that moment for the British public.

As Queen Elizabeth’s health was in decline, her family was dealing with their own health crises. In February 2023, King Charles III revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, although he has chosen not to disclose further details about his condition. Meanwhile, Princess Kate Middleton publicly announced her own cancer diagnosis in March 2023. After undergoing chemotherapy, the 42-year-old Princess expressed gratitude for her recovery journey. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” she shared in a statement last month. She reflected on her ongoing recovery, stating, “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long.”

These revelations have highlighted the personal struggles of a royal family that has traditionally kept such matters private. Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, was at her mother's bedside when she passed away. King Charles, who had been nearby at his residence in Birkhall, was reportedly out picking mushrooms when he received the call informing him of his mother’s passing.

Queen Elizabeth’s death, though expected due to her advanced age, has left a profound mark on the British monarchy and the global stage. Johnson’s memoir and Jobson’s accounts of her final days reveal a monarch who, despite immense physical suffering, remained committed to her role. These accounts offer a fuller picture of the final chapter in the life of one of the most celebrated and longest-reigning monarchs in history.