Queen's final months: How the late monarch found comfort after Philip's death

25 November 2022, 21:49

A new book has revealed more about the Queen's final months and how she found comfort after Philip's death.

The royal biography tells how the Queen was determined to keep busy in order to cope with the loss of Philip in April last year.

Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait - written by Gyles Brandreth - also explains how the monarch turned to TV show Line of Duty to find comfort after his death.

Mr Brandreth said that by autumn last year, the Queen suffered a sudden "energy low" after pushing herself too hard, according to the Daily Mail.

"I've got to be sensible," she is understood to have said, acknowledging her frailty.

But in the words of the new Queen Consort, who spoke to the author, her mother-in-law was simply "unstoppable".

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Other facts unveiled include the Queen's determination to be with her husband when he died, barely leaving his side, the pair's renewed comfort in one another during the pandemic and her "Christian duty" to carry on as best she could once he passed.

It also addresses the controversy around Prince Andrew, who she did not hesitate to "fire" amid sexual assault claims which he denied.

Despite having "confidence" in her second son, the monarch took action quickly.

"The Queen took a firm grip of things," a senior courtier said.

"To use the military jargon, there were only few days between flash and bang. Action was called for it and she took it."

However, she continued to show personal support for him, allowing herself to be photographed riding with Andrew the next day.

As the Queen's health deteriorated, she accepted it "with all the good grace you'd expect", Mr Brandreth says.

"The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited."