Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has controversially broken royal protocol and claimed in his upcoming memoir that Queen Elizabeth II was suffering from bone cancer before her death.
In the book, which hits shelves on Oct. 10 and has been serialized this week in the Daily Mail newspaper - which Johnson also writes for - he recalled the monarch鈥檚 final days at Balmoral, Scotland.
Johnson formally stepped down just two days before Elizabeth II鈥檚 death in September 2022, and in the years since, there has been fierce speculation over exactly how she passed away.
鈥淚 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,鈥 he wrote in the excerpt.
Johnson鈥檚 account is the first public indication by a former senior government official as to what the Queen鈥檚 cause of death might have been. It is listed as 鈥渙ld age鈥 on her death certificate.
Johnson isn鈥檛 the first prime minister to reminisce about his life, time in office and interactions with the late Queen in an autobiography. Former British leaders Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron all did so but only in generalities and without the same level of vivid detail as Johnson.
Buckingham Palace has a policy not to comment on books released about the royal family and as such has not confirmed or denied Johnson鈥檚 assertions.
Johnson, who served as prime minister between 2019 and 2022, recalls traveling to the royal residence of Balmoral for the customary outgoing audience and resignation. Upon his arrival, he remembers being greeted by the Queen鈥檚 private secretary Edward Young, who suggested to him that she had deteriorated significantly over the summer.
Thinking back on that last time the pair sat together in the Queen鈥檚 drawing room, Johnson said that he understood Young鈥檚 forewarning.
鈥淪he seemed pale and more stooped, and she had dark bruising on her hands and wrists, probably from drips or injections,鈥 he wrote.
鈥淏ut her mind 鈥 as Edward had also said 鈥 was completely 颅unimpaired by her illness, and from time to time in our conversation she still flashed that great white smile in its sudden mood-lifting beauty.鈥
Johnson described the weekly prime minster audiences with the monarch as 鈥渁 privilege鈥 and 鈥渁 balm.鈥
鈥淪he radiated such an ethic of 颅service, patience and leadership that you really felt you would, if necessary, die for her,鈥 he continued. 鈥淭hat may sound barmy to some people (and totally obvious to many more), but that loyalty, primitive as it may appear, is still at the heart of our system.
鈥淵ou need someone kind and wise, and above politics, to personify what is good about our country. She did that job brilliantly.鈥
The late Queen never shared private medical details with the public. Aides within the royal household still maintain that family members have the same right to medical privacy as anyone else.
King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales have bucked the trend and been more open about their health. The two have shared details about their own cancer diagnoses and recoveries.
However, in both instances, they chose not to divulge the specific form of cancer each has been battling. When pressed, aides said they wanted to share their experiences to raise awareness of the disease
In the second part of a five-part series, W5's Avery Haines follows the journeys of migrants who risk life and limb to ride atop Mexican freight trains, desperate to avoid narco territory as they make their way towards the U.S. border.
As October begins, several provinces are bracing for frosty conditions and some are facing a snowy start, according to local forecasts.
The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.
The Israeli military on Tuesday warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah. The militant group denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
A Scottish woman accused of stalking 'Baby Reindeer' creator and star Richard Gadd can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against Netflix, after a federal judge in California refused to dismiss all of the claims.
Sony's PlayStation Network went down for hours on Tuesday, frustrating gamers around the world who complained they weren't able to sign in to their accounts.
A bus carrying young students with their teachers caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, with more than 20 of those on board feared dead, officials and rescuers said.
Ontario Provincial Police laid charges against an Ottawa driver after a child was found to not be wearing a seatbelt inside a vehicle early Sunday morning.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
Ottawa must do more to help Canadian citizens leave Lebanon, says the son of a Canadian couple killed last week when an Israeli bomb hit their car in the country's south.
Ontario politicians are set to make their annual pilgrimage to the International Plowing Match today.
Residential school survivors say the federal government is keeping the truth about those institutions in the dark by cutting back on funding for records and ground searches looking for unmarked graves of children who died at the schools.
Seas of orange shirts have come to represent a growing awareness of Canada's history of oppressing Indigenous Peoples 鈥 but that awareness must translate into more "substantive changes" from the government, according to a B.C. chief.
Tim Walz and JD Vance will meet for their first and possibly only vice-presidential debate Tuesday, in what could be the last debate for both campaigns to argue their case before the U.S. election.
Donald Trump repeatedly spread falsehoods Monday about the federal response to Hurricane Helene despite claiming not to be politicizing the disaster as he toured hard-hit areas in south Georgia.
A bus carrying young students with their teachers caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, with more than 20 of those on board feared dead, officials and rescuers said.
World leaders headed home from the United Nations with the prospect of a broader Middle East war intensifying and global divisions front and centre.
A strike by U.S. dockworkers at 36 ports from Maine to Texas, the first in decades, could snarl supply chains and lead to shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks.
The Israeli military on Tuesday warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah. The militant group denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon.
The Bloc Quebecois will try to put the squeeze on the Liberals today by calling for a debate in the House of Commons about increasing old age pension payments for all seniors.
Canadian members of Parliament are working with their colleagues in Australia and New Zealand to try and convince their respective governments to jointly recognize Palestinian statehood.
Canada's foreign ministry expressed alarm about its shrinking ability to counter foreign disinformation online due to limited access to data and the evolving tactics of adversaries, a newly released memo shows.
For the first time in Rwanda鈥檚 history, its health ministry is dealing with an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a rare but deadly hemorrhagic disease similar to Ebola 鈥 but unlike Ebola, there is no treatment or vaccines for Marburg, and it has a fatality rate of 88 per cent.
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
The fertility rate in Canada reached an all-time low in 2023, and the lowest rate was recorded in British Columbia, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
Restaurant company SIR Corp. is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has impacted part of its information technology infrastructure.
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday's arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
The space rock 鈥 2024 PT5 鈥 was first spotted in August by astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid using a powerful telescope located in Sutherland, South Africa.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial is set to resume in a northeastern Ontario court today, with the defence expected to lay out its case.
A Scottish woman accused of stalking 'Baby Reindeer' creator and star Richard Gadd can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against Netflix, after a federal judge in California refused to dismiss all of the claims.
The 50th season of 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥 is off to a strong ratings start and is a record-breaker for the streaming service Peacock.
Restaurant company SIR Corp. is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has impacted part of its information technology infrastructure.
A strike by U.S. dockworkers at 36 ports from Maine to Texas, the first in decades, could snarl supply chains and lead to shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks.
The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.
Have you been caught in a bind, far from home, that could have been avoided with the timely purchase of an insurance package? We want to hear from you.
Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
Ryan Hunter's athleticism has been on full display since his arrival in the CFL, but the Canadian's versatility is now shining through.
Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri tried to lay to rest rumours that he has friction with Edward Rogers, the executive chair of Rogers Communications, Inc.
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
General Motors鈥 Cruise autonomous vehicle division will pay a US$1.5 million penalty after the unit failed to fully report a crash involving a pedestrian, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.
On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
A fire in South Vancouver Monday completely destroyed one home and caused damage to two others, according to officials, who said no one was injured in the blaze.
The Department of National Defence is warning boaters to avoid a small island southwest of Victoria this week as the military conducts routine, but potentially dangerous, demolition training.
The New Democrats are campaigning for another term in British Columbia's provincial election but without many of the familiar faces that have graced lawn signs of elections past.
One male is dead following a shooting in North York, Toronto police say. The incident occurred near Marlee Avenue and Lawrence Avenue West, near Allen Road, shortly before midnight.
Peel police say one person is dead and two others are in hospital following an incident in Mississauga early Tuesday morning.
Those earning minimum wage in Ontario will now make more money per hour. The annual wage increase is tied to inflation and jumps to $17.20 per hour on Tuesday, marking a 3.9 per cent increase from the previous rate of $16.55 per hour.
Police are investigating a suspicious death in Cityscape, Calgary's third such death over the long weekend.
Calgary Flames rookie Samuel Honzek continued his scoring tear on Monday with a brilliant short-handed effort.
Five people were rushed to hospital after a gas well fire northwest of Calgary Monday afternoon.
The city has implemented a new three item garbage limit on all households that receive curbside collection as part of a plan to reduce the amount of waste heading to the landfill and to help extend the life of the Trail Road Waste Facility until 2049.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is delaying possible changes to elementary school programs until September 2026, to provide more time for consultations with advisory committees and the public.
Ottawa councillors will be allowed to "solicit and/or facilitate" donations from developers for the community's benefit, under proposed new rules at Ottawa City Hall.
Marwah Rizqy, the Quebec Liberal Party's MNA for Saint-Laurent, will not be seeking re-election in the next provincial election.
A group of 23 bilingual municipalities in Quebec has asked a Superior Court judge to suspend the application of several portions of the province's 2022 language reform, known as Bill 96. Lawyer Julius Grey says the law will have "enormous consequences" for cities that have the right to serve citizens in both English and French.
The union representing law professors at McGill University has agreed to suspend its strike until the next meeting with an arbitrator.
A pair of city events held on Monday, among several others in the region, helped residents mark the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Some residents of a southern Alberta town were forced to leave their homes Monday due to a potential gas leak.
It may have been a victory, but the Edmonton Oilers feel they are still very much a work in progress.
The minimum wage on Prince Edward Island increased to $16 an hour Tuesday.
The LaHave cable ferry in Nova Scotia鈥檚 Lunenburg County will be taken out of service Tuesday for a refit.
Ottawa must do more to help Canadian citizens leave Lebanon, says the son of a Canadian couple killed last week when an Israeli bomb hit their car in the country's south.
Truth and Reconciliation Day honours residential school survivors and the children who never made it home.
Thousands of Manitoba Hydro customers are without power Monday after strong winds barrelled through parts of the province overnight.
Minimum wage is set to increase on Tuesday in Manitoba.
Premier Scott Moe has confirmed that the writ will be dropped Tuesday morning 鈥 officially kicking off campaigning prior to the provincial election on Oct. 28.
Exclusive polling data collected by 麻豆传媒 in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they鈥檙e familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.
With the writ for Saskatchewan's provincial election set to be issued on Tuesday and election day scheduled for Oct. 28, residents have approximately one month to decide which MLA to vote for.
Those earning minimum wage in Ontario will now make more money per hour. The annual wage increase is tied to inflation and jumps to $17.20 per hour on Tuesday, marking a 3.9 per cent increase from the previous rate of $16.55 per hour.
Communities across the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events honouring survivors of residential schools and remembering those who never made it home.
An Etobicoke resident was taken to hospital after he told a Guelph Police officer he had been stabbed during Homecoming celebrations near the University of Guelph.
Premier Scott Moe has confirmed that the writ will be dropped Tuesday morning 鈥 officially kicking off campaigning prior to the provincial election on Oct. 28.
Exclusive polling data collected by 麻豆传媒 in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they鈥檙e familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.
With the writ for Saskatchewan's provincial election set to be issued on Tuesday and election day scheduled for Oct. 28, residents have approximately one month to decide which MLA to vote for.
The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial is set to resume in a northeastern Ontario court today, with the defence expected to lay out its case.
A 73-year-old man on a mobility scooter was killed Sunday night in Sudbury after being hit by a vehicle on Lasalle Boulevard and Barry Downe Road.
Police in Sarnia are investigating after a man was shot in the face and neck several times with a pellet gun. Around 2:10 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to an apartment building in the 100 block of East Street near Wellington Street for a weapons call.
A pair of homes are destroyed on Penhale Avenue in St. Thomas, Ont. after an electrical fire set a garage ablaze Sunday night.
According to police, the driver of a vehicle collided with a parked vehicle and fled the scene. Police were able to catch up and make an arrest not far from the original scene.
A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.
An early Sunday morning fire in Colgan that caused significant damage is under investigation.
OPP officers arrested a suspect while he was in the middle of a possible theft Sunday morning in Wasaga Beach.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $11,000 US from an inbound American citizen at the Ambassador Bridge.
According to police, the driver of a vehicle collided with a parked vehicle and fled the scene. Police were able to catch up and make an arrest not far from the original scene.
A section of Drouillard Road will close this week for an infrastructure renewal project.
The Department of National Defence is warning boaters to avoid a small island southwest of Victoria this week as the military conducts routine, but potentially dangerous, demolition training.
The New Democrats are campaigning for another term in British Columbia's provincial election but without many of the familiar faces that have graced lawn signs of elections past.
The residential 鈥渟chool鈥 survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day 鈥 and the 鈥淓very Child Matters鈥 movement 鈥 says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.
Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.
A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.
The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.
A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial is set to resume in a northeastern Ontario court today, with the defence expected to lay out its case.
Overnight on Thursday as the community of Elliot Lake was resting to prepare for the upcoming Kraft Hockeyville celebrations, when vandals struck a building that has been top of mind for the northern Ontario city for more than a year.
Ontario Provincial Police remind the public that 鈥榓 case is never closed until it is solved,鈥 while highlighting the force's continued investigation of the 1996 disappearance of Melanie Ethier.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people鈥檚 basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
