Queen Elizabeth reigned for more than 70 years before she passed away in 2022. She died peacefully at Balmoral in Scotland, surrounded by her family. At the time, the official statement from Buckingham Palace did not mention the cause of death.

Since then, reports have emerged that the Queen had been suffering from bone marrow cancer. Now, her former butler, Paul Burrell, has spoken out, revealing the four brave words Elizabeth uttered when doctors told her that she didn’t have long left.

The Queen’s Final Months

Her Majesty’s reign saw 15 different prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. She will be remembered as one of the most iconic figures in British history. On September 8, 2022, after her health suddenly deteriorated, Buckingham Palace announced her death.

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the statement read at 6.30 p.m., though it was later confirmed she had passed away at 3.10 p.m. The flag atop Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast, and an official notice was placed on the palace gates, as tradition dictates.

The Queen’s eldest son, Charles, immediately became King of the United Kingdom and the 14 Commonwealth realms. “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” he said in a heartfelt statement, adding that her loss would be felt “throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

Battling Bone Can,cer

Queen Elizabeth was 96 at the time of her passing. Later, in his memoir Unleashed, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that she had been battling a form of bone cancer. “I had known for a year or more that she had a form of bone cancer, and her doctors were worried that at any time she could enter a sharp decline,” Johnson wrote, recalling his final meeting with her.

Royal biographer Robert Jobson also reported that the Queen was “terribly frail” in her last months, suffering from myeloma. After her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, celebrating 70 years on the throne, her health “deteriorated rapidly.” She struggled with her eyesight, often frustrated when she could no longer even pour tea without spilling.

“Well, That’s a Shame”

Now, Paul Burrell has shared his own memory of the Queen’s final chapter. Doctors, he said, had first given her a grim prognosis, suggesting she might not survive beyond Christmas 2021. But Elizabeth was determined to see her Platinum Jubilee.

Burrell recalled that when told she was dying, she responded with four simple, brave words: “Well, that’s a shame.” Shocked but resolute, she then asked her doctors: “Can you keep me alive for that?” — meaning the Jubilee.

According to Burrell, the Queen endured blood transfusions and gave up her favorite drinks — gin and tonics, gin and Dubonnets, and martinis — replacing them with apple juice, and occasionally tomato juice on Sundays, in order to extend her life. “They kept her alive to witness this landmark in her reign,” he said, “but she knew through it all that she was dying.”

A Monarch to Remember

Queen Elizabeth’s courage, even in the face of her final illness, showed the same quiet strength that defined her entire reign. She lived long enough to see the public celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, a milestone she dearly wished to reach.

She was, and remains, one of the most remarkable figures in modern history.