Last Photo of Queen Elizabeth Taken Two Days Before Death Reveals the True Extent of Her Illness
The late Queen Elizabeth carried out her duties for 70 long years until her passing at 96. Her last official act was the appointment of then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, 2 days before her death. Her final photo, captured during this meet by photographer Jane Barlow, revealed dark blue bruises on her hands—signs of her supposed battle with bone cancer.
Royal expert Gyles Brandreth commented on the same in his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. As per the Daily Mail, he wrote, “She appears old, yes — she is 96 — and frail. There is a dark bruise mark on the back of her right hand, but she looks alert and very much alive.” The author added, “She is smiling, looking over the tops of her spectacles at the camera. There is a definite, mischievous twinkle in her eye.”
#OTD 2022, this was the last photograph taken of the late Queen in her Drawing Room at Balmoral Castle, two days before her death. For her duty was paramount, and what was to be her final duty was to receive her outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers. RIP Ma'am? #JaneBarlowPA pic.twitter.com/LiLsJ0BLbo
— Dickie Arbiter LVO ?? (@RoyalDickie) September 6, 2023
Brandeth added that she battled a serious illness. He revealed, “I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — 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.” He also mentioned that the most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, especially in the pelvis and lower back. This perhaps was why the late monarch canceled a slew of events after her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
? The Queen received Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle today.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 6, 2022
Her Majesty asked her to form a new Administration. Ms. Truss accepted Her Majesty's offer and was appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury. pic.twitter.com/klRwVvEOyc
Brandeth’s claims on the Queen’s health were also echoed by then-president Boris Johnson, whose resignation the Queen accepted before appointing Truss. As per CNN, Johnson wrote in his memoir, “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 added, “She seemed pale and more stooped, and she had dark bruising on her hands and wrists, probably from drips or injections.” Despite the claims, her death certificate cited her official cause of death as ‘old age.’
Australian doctor Dr Deb Cohen-Jones also gave a plausible explanation of her bruised hands. She told the Daily Mail, “It looks like there is possibly evidence of peripheral vascular disease. It's a blood circulation disorder that causes the blood vessels outside of your heart and brain to narrow, block, or spasm… It can be a sign of mortal organ failure.” The Queen was said to be in ‘good spirits’ by photographer Barlow. She told Sky News, "I got a lot of smiles from her. I was there to photograph her meeting the new Prime Minister, but for me, the best picture was the one of the Queen on her own." Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully in her sleep at 15:10 BST at Balmoral Palace (her favorite residence), surrounded by close family members.