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A Final Bow: Queen Elizabeth II's Last Doctor Faced 'Devastating Realization' About Her Majesty Hours Before She Died

The last physician to treat Queen Elizabeth II told Balmoral Castle staff and gathered royals a 'devastating realization' about her illness.

queen elizabeth ii
Queen Elizabeth II was moved to tears only a handful of time while in public. Source: THEROYALFAMILYCHANNEL/YOUTUBE

Queen Elizabeth II's health took a sudden turn the morning of the day she died, which left her final physician, Dr. Douglas Glass, with a "devastating realization" about "the world's beloved grandmother."

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The longest-reigning monarch in British history died mid-afternoon on September 8, 2022, which immediately led to her heir, King Charles III's accession to a throne she occupied for over 70 years.

In his book Charles III: New King, New Court author Robert Hardman shared that Dr. Glass "visited again and determined Elizabeth was stable but coming towards the end of her life."

An official involved in the late Queen's final illness and death told Hardman that on the morning of the 8th, everyone thought her demise would be a "day or two, not an hour or two."

At 12:32 PM (BST), Buckingham Palace stated, "The Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral."

queen elizabeth ii

Nearly three hours later, the revered monarch died in her sleep starting a new reign for the Crown's longest-waiting heir in history.

Glass would go on to reveal, "It was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen."

"I don't think anybody knows what it was," the Queen's former Press Secretary Dickie Arbiter told an outlet. "The death certificate said 'old age.' I don't think anyone can confirm whether she did or she didn't. It's a conversation that Charles [her son] had with a doctor who said, 'I believe that.' So he didn't know either. We certainly won't know anything for the next 100 years."

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Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed in his new autobiography titled Unleashed, which was labeled "the memoirs of a clown" by one U.K. outlet, details about the late Queen and disclosed details about her health during the twilight of her reign.

He wrote that Her late Majesty "for more than a year, had a form of bone cancer and her doctors were worried that at any time she could enter a sharp decline."

Johnson also shared specifics about his final meeting with Elizabeth II, two days before her death. The gathering occurred at Balmoral Castle, only moments before Liz Truss "kissed hands" to become her final PM.

Elizabeth II's passing was an event that many analysts predicted to become "a moment of grief for the passage of time in our own lives," to quote one royal insider.

"Billions never met her, but their tears are only partly about her death — we are grieving the stability she provided during decades of immense change, and our own long-gone loved ones during her reign," they concluded.

queen elizabeth ii

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Daily Mirror reported on the Queen's final moments.

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