New Book Reveals How Prince Philip Spent His Final Night — and Why the Queen Was ‘Furious’
After 73 years of marriage, Queen Elizabeth was reportedly deeply upset when Prince Philip didn't do one thing before his death.
While her children's relationships crumbled, Queen Elizabeth enjoyed one of the most enduring marriages in royal history, having been wed to Prince Philip for 73 years. The late Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh were seen as the epitome of lasting love, standing by each other in sickness and in health. It very well explains why the Queen was reportedly upset when her husband passed away without a final goodbye. Royal author Hugo Vickers's new book lifts the lid on Philip's final moments and how his wife coped with his loss.
In his new book, Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, serialized by The Daily Mail, Vickers detailed how the late Philip spent his last moments, without his wife by his side. On the last night of his life, Philip "gave his nurses the slip, shuffled along the corridor on his Zimmer frame, helped himself to a beer and drank it in the Oak Room. The following morning, he got up, had a bath, said he did not feel well, and quietly slipped away." The Queen, who was caught off guard by his untimely passing, reportedly said, "She took the line, I was told, that she was 'absolutely furious that, as so often in life, he left without saying goodbye.'"
Although Philip passed away alone and isolated, the lockdown did grant him one posthumous blessing. Vickers penned, "Due to Covid rules, the number of mourners at Philip's funeral was restricted to 30. Nothing would have delighted the Duke more than having such a pared-down farewell." Therefore, his funeral service in April 2021 at St. George's Chapel saw the Queen sit alone, with her face sunk in despair. Upon her own death at age 96, she was laid to rest beside him in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, built off the north quire aisle of St George's Chapel.
Perhaps the most surprising revelation in the biography about Philip was Vickers' claim that he suffered from pancreatic cancer almost a decade before his death. The condition was allegedly inoperable, and Philip was said to have returned home to rest after his hospital stay. He wrote, "Doctors had detected a shadow on his [Philip's] pancreas, and had cut him right across his stomach. The verdict was inoperable pancreatic cancer." He added that during the late Duke of Edinburgh's convalescence, it was believed "that he might not be seen in public again. But, as ever, the Duke outwitted the pessimists."
The late Prince Philip was said to have passed away peacefully on 9 April 2021 at age 99 at Windsor Castle, with his death officially listed as 'old age,' just like his wife, even though she was herself rumored to have bone cancer. His funeral featured strong military elements reflecting his naval career. His coffin was carried in a custom Land Rover he helped design, and the service included hymns and readings he had personally chosen.
