Boris Johnson Claims Queen Elizabeth Had Bone Cancer Prior to Death

In a surprising revelation, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed in his upcoming memoir that Queen Elizabeth II was diagnosed with bone cancer more than a year before her death at the age of 96. This assertion, made in Johnson’s book “Unleashed,” represents a significant deviation from traditional royal protocol, according to which U.K. leaders generally refrain from discussing the private affairs of the royal family publicly.

An excerpt from the book that contained this revelation was published in Johnson’s column for the Daily Mail newspaper. The claim has not been addressed by Buckingham Palace nor any senior British government officials, who have previously maintained confidentiality concerning the Queen’s health. Queen Elizabeth’s official death certificate cited “old age” as the cause of death.

Johnson details in his memoir that he was aware for over a year of the Queen’s condition, suggesting that her doctors were apprehensive about the potential for sudden deterioration in her health. “I had known for a year or more that she had a form of bone cancer,” Johnson explains in his book, also noting her physical appearance during his visit to Balmoral Castle, where she was reportedly “pale and more stooped” with visible bruising, presumably from medical treatments.

During what turned out to be his final meeting with Queen Elizabeth, Johnson observed that despite her physical frailty, her mental acuity remained unchanged. “Her mind… was completely unimpaired,” he remarked, characterizing her characteristic smile as inspirational even in her final days.

Boris Johnson’s assertions come amid a tradition of British prime ministers maintaining discretion regarding interactions with the royal family. However, Johnson is not the first prime minister to share insights from their time in office. Previous leaders, such as Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron, have also published memoirs referencing private audiences with the Queen, though not with the same level of specificity.

In a similar breach of discretion, former Prime Minister David Cameron once made headlines for inadvertently revealing Queen Elizabeth’s reaction to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum outcome, reportedly describing her as relieved.

Current royal family members, including King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have recently defied precedent by openly discussing their own health issues. King Charles disclosed a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, and Princess Catherine has spoken about completing her treatment, although specifics of their conditions were not revealed.