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. At the time, the official statement from Buckingham Palace did not mention the cause of death.

Since then, reports have emerged that the Queen had been suffering from bone marrow cancer. Now, her former butler, Paul Burrell, has spoken out, revealing the four brave words Elizabeth uttered when doctors told her that she didn’t have long left.

The Queen’s Final Months

Her Majesty’s reign saw 15 different prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. She will be remembered as one of the most iconic figures in British history. On September 8, 2022, after her health suddenly deteriorated, Buckingham Palace announced her death.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the statement read at 6.30 p.m., though it was later confirmed she had passed away at 3.10 p.m. The flag atop Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast, and an official notice was placed on the palace gates, as tradition dictates.

The Queen’s eldest son, Charles, immediately 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,” he said in a heartfelt statement, adding that her loss would be felt “throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

Battling Bone Can,cer

Queen Elizabeth was 96 at the time of her passing. Later, in his memoir Unleashed, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that she had been battling 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,” Johnson wrote, recalling his final meeting with her.