Queen Elizabeth ‘determined to keep busy in last months of her life’

25 November 2022

Queen Elizabeth is said to have been determined to keep busy to distract herself from grief in the last months of her life.

Queen Elizabeth is said to have been determined to keep busy to distract herself from grief in the last months of her life

A new book on the monarch by King Charles’ broadcaster friend Gyles Brandreth says she made the statement to a lady-in-waiting, saying work kept her from dwelling on the passing of Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years who died in 2021 aged 99.

It also says she did not want to submit to self-pity, apparently saying: “My husband would certainly not have approved.”

Gyles’ upcoming book, ‘Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait’, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail before its release on December 8, adds the monarch pushed herself so hard that by last autumn she suffered low energy and was advised by doctors to rest.

In the first summary of the book, published by Mail Online on Friday (25.11.22), it is said she kept up her spirits by watching television shows including BBC drama ‘Line of Duty’.

Gyles writes about the Queen’s failing health before her death in September aged 96 at her home in Balmoral: “The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the good grace you’d expect.”

One of the Queen’s last conversations two days before she passed away was with Clive Cox, one of her favourite racehorse trainers.

She called him at 10am to talk about the prospects for her two-year-old horse Love Affairs, who was running at Goodwood.

Mr Cox said: “We talked about the filly, how the race might pan out, how another horse of hers was doing in my stable, and about a couple of other things. She was sharp as a tack.”