Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at the Buckingham Palace in London. Photo / AP
Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at the Buckingham Palace in London. Photo / AP
A new royal biography has detailed Queen Elizabeth’s final year, including how she dealt with the loss of her husband, Prince Philip.
Written by author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth – who is a close friend of the Royal family – “Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait” sheds new light on the late Queen’s stoicism in her final months and how she remained “unstoppable” until the very end.
The Daily Mail has reported the book reveals Her Majesty took a turn mid last year after pushing herself so hard she experienced a sudden “energy low” leaving doctors no choice but to tell her to take it easy.
“I’ve got to be sensible,” the monarch reportedly said with much reluctance.
It was a mindset she maintained for the entirety of her rule even after the death of her beloved husband in April 2021.
Brandreth says in the book that while the Queen was battling intense personal grief after Philip died, she became a major source of comfort for her family, believing it was her “Christian duty” to do so.
“Life goes on. It has to,” she reportedly said at the time as continuing with her royal duties as she did not want to give an image of self pity. “My husband would certainly not have approved,” she said.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Royal Ascot. Photo / Tim Rooke / Shutterstock
The book also claims the Queen was not with Philip at the time of his passing despite barely leaving his side in the final weeks of his life. Brandreth says Philip slipped away so quickly on April 9, palace staff were unable to wake the Queen in time.
Thankfully, the couple of 73 years made some special memories together before he died. Brandreth claims when Prince Philip retired from royal duties in 2017 he and the Queen would spend weeks apart as he did not want to be “fussed over” and wished to “see out his days in his own way”.
However, when the pandemic hit and lockdown restrictions were enforced, the two found comfort in one another and once restrictions eased they continued to spend a lot of time together.
Following his death, the Queen reportedly filled her spare time by watching television and would “keep her spirits up” by watching dramas such as “Line of Duty”.
Brandreth also revealed how Her Majesty was both a loving and tough mother.
Following her “favourite child” Prince Andrew’s disastrous Jeffrey Epstein interview in 2019, the Queen had no hesitation about stripping him of his titles.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London on March 29. Photo / AP
A senior courtier told Brandreth: “The Queen took a firm grip of things. To use the military jargon, there were only few days between flash and bang. Action was called for and she took it.”
But she was able to separate business from her personal relationships and following Andrew’s title stripping, she was purposely photographed riding with him in Windsor Great Park as a sign of her personal support.
The Daily Mail reports it was also revealed in the biography that the Queen was a discreet woman and when Andrew recounted the story of his friendship with convicted paedophile Epstein, she listened carefully and replied with a single word: “Intriguing”.
Brandreth went on to reveal what the beloved monarch was like as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, saying she was “surprisingly” engaged with modern technology and would text her family but was very strict in not allowing her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to bring their devices to the table.
Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait will be released on December 8.
