Royal Biographer Reveals Deeply Personal Loss Queen Elizabeth Kept Hidden
Gyles Brandreth talked about this tragic loss in his new book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait.
Over the years, several royal authors and biographers have revealed lesser-known details about the late Queen Elizabeth II’s private life and her 70-year reign. For instance, in his new book titled Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman, shared some details about the late Queen, most of which were not revealed publicly in the past. Similarly, author Gyles Brandreth, an old friend of Elizabeth, recently revealed a tragic loss the Queen faced in his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. He even mentioned that the Queen reportedly kept her sorrow hidden throughout her historic reign.
In one section of the book, Gyles compared Elizabeth to her predecessor, Queen Victoria. As reported by HELLO Magazine, he wrote, "Elizabeth had four children and, so her childhood friend Sonia Berry told me, one miscarriage. Victoria, despite the discomforts and indignities of childbirth, had nine children." However, as per the official records, Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, had four children — King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. Therefore, there is no public information confirming when the alleged miscarriage may have occurred.
Additionally, Gyles also spoke about Elizabeth on A Right Royal Podcast this week, opening up about how fascinating her 74-year-long marriage was with Philip. He said, "To live with the same person for so long and to get along so well is extraordinary. They were an amazing double act." He then went on to add, "And I was very pleased that one of her friends who had been at the wedding actually wrote to me when they'd read the book and said, 'I think you're the first person to get them right.' They had this understanding because nobody could treat her normally."
The royal couple got married on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom. The wedding ceremony was officiated by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, and the then Dean of Westminster, Alan Campbell Don. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Elizabeth wasn't the only royal family member who is believed to have experienced a miscarriage. The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, also shared her heartbreaking experience of coping with pregnancy loss while talking to Reshma Saujani, CEO of Moms First.
Meghan suffered a miscarriage in July 2020, and while talking about this, said, “I’ve spoken about the miscarriage that we experienced. I think in some parallel way, when you have to learn to detach from the thing that you have so much promise and hope for and to be able to be OK at a certain point to let something go, something that you plan to love for a long time," as reported by NBC News. Now, the Duchess shares two children with her husband, Prince Harry: son Prince Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet.
