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Queen Elizabeth Knew Her Time Was Running Short, 'Had No Regrets' Before Her Death, Book Says

Glenn Garner
Updated ·2-min read
FEBRUARY 02: Queen Elizabeth II is photographed at Sandringham House to commemorate Accession Day, marking the start of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee Year, on February 2, 2022 in Sandringham, Norfolk.
FEBRUARY 02: Queen Elizabeth II is photographed at Sandringham House to commemorate Accession Day, marking the start of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee Year, on February 2, 2022 in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Chris Jackson/Getty

Queen Elizabeth II's final days are coming into focus with a new book.

In an excerpt published by Daily Mail from royal writer Gyles Brandreth's upcoming book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, he writes that the late monarch made peace with her death as he documented Reverend Dr. Iain Greenshields' visit at Balmoral the weekend before she died.

"The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you'd expect," Brandreth writes.

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"'Her faith was everything to her. She told me she had no regrets,' said Dr. Greenshields, referring to the last weekend he spent with her at Balmoral."

Brandreth also writes of rumors that Her Majesty had a rare form of myeloma, a 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."

Queen Elizabeth II waits in the Drawing Room before receiving newly elected leader of the Conservative party Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle for an audience where she will be invited to become Prime Minister and form a new government on September 6, 2022 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Queen broke with the tradition of meeting the new prime minister and Buckingham Palace, after needing to remain at Balmoral Castle due to mobility issues

Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 6, 2022 at Balmoral Castle

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He explains that it's not surprising her cause of death was ruled "old age," as that's the commonly listed cause "when a patient is over 80 and their doctor has cared for them over time and seen their gradual decline."

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Dr. Douglas James Allan Glass, who worked with the Queen for more than 30 years and was with her at the time of her death, said her death "was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen."

According to Brandreth's book, Queen Elizabeth began exhibiting "sudden 'energy low'" and "felt exhausted" in autumn 2021, as doctors ordered her to "'rest a bit, not to push herself so much, to take it easy.'" She subsequently canceled several appearances.

The State Gun Carriage carries the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, in the Ceremonial Procession down The Mall following her State Funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 in London, England. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.

Zac Goodwin - WPA Pool/Getty

"Until then, her energy had been little short of astonishing," Brandreth writes. "Over her final decade, she'd not only continued her work as monarch but actively engaged with modern life.

Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 in September at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Buckingham Palace previously announced that the Queen was "under medical supervision" and doctors were "concerned" about her health, as members of the royal family rushed to her side at Balmoral.

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Her Majesty's death followed the passing of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who died at age 99 in June 2021. She was succeeded immediately by her eldest son, King Charles III, 74, who is now the monarch.

Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait is available Dec. 8.