![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_48043293-8a13.jpg\")
\n\t\tCaption: Prince Philip battled with pancreatic cancer during his final years (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tCaption: Prince Philip battled with pancreatic cancer during his final years (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Prince Philip<\/a> was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer<\/a> nearly eight years before he died, a new book about the Queen and the then-Duke of Edinburgh\u2019s life has revealed.<\/p>\n In Queen Elizabeth<\/a> II, a new book by the royal biographer Hugo Vickers, the final years of the two royals<\/a>\u2019 lives have been cast in fresh detail \u2013 including Philip\u2019s long-running illness.<\/p>\n While he died at Windsor Castle<\/a> in April 2021, two months before he turned 100, the Duke was given the diagnosis of inoperable cancer in June 2013 when he was 92 years of age.<\/a><\/p>\n The book claims the condition was kept from the public for years and that his doctors struggled to believe he had survived for so long.<\/p>\n Philip\u2019s official death certificate lists \u2018old age\u2019 as the eventual cause of death.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n The Duke was the longest-reigning consort in British history and was treated at King Edward VII Hospital and St Bartholomew\u2019s Hospital in the weeks before his death.<\/p>\n \t\t At the time, it was reported that he initially received care for an infection, but also underwent heart surgery for a pre-existing condition.<\/p>\n He returned to Windsor Castle on March 16 to be reunited with the Queen after spending a month in the hospitals.<\/p>\n There, the Duke, known for his frequent gaffes and remarkable longevity, continued living life to the full even on his final night, claims the new book, which has been serialised in the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n \t\t Prince Philip gave nurses the slip and headed down on his zimmer frame to the Oak Room, a sitting room in the castle, and poured himself a beer, Vickers wrote.<\/p>\n \u2018The following morning, he got up, had a bath, said he did not feel well and quietly slipped away,\u2019 the book said.<\/p>\n \u2018By this point, he had lived with pancreatic cancer for nearly eight years \u2013 far longer than the usual survival time from diagnosis.\u2019<\/p>\n The Queen, meanwhile, was not present when her husband of 73 years passed away, and is said to have been left frustrated by his characteristically unannounced departure.<\/p>\n According to Vickers, she described herself as \u2018absolutely furious that, as so often in life, he left without saying goodbye\u2019.<\/p>\n The statement was an apparent reference to Philip\u2019s lifelong habit of slipping away without warning, including from the Queen herself, who had frequently asked staff to alert her when he was leaving, only to be told he had already gone.<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"DUBLIN,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_291417885-a573.jpg\")
\n\t\tA new book by the royal biographer Hugo Vickers describes the final years of the Queen and her husband\u2019s lives (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"WINDSOR,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_291417888-7ce6.jpg\")
\n\t\tPrince Philip kept evading his nurses (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n
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