Details of Prince Philip‘s secret battle with pancreatic cancer have been revealed for the first time nearly five years after his death.
The revelation was made in Hugo Vickers’ new book, Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, with the author revealing exclusive details on HELLO!‘s A Right Royal Podcast this week.
Speaking to our royal editor, Emily Nash, the biographer also revealed why details of the then-Duke of Edinburgh’s illness were “covered up” for so long. The late Queen’s husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, battling the disease for eight years until his death in April 2021.
You can watch their full conversation in the new episode below:
Hugo said Philip had his “good days and his bad days” after the diagnosis, but was “incredibly strong” throughout, returning to duties in August 2013.
He added: “There was a time, you might have forgotten, when he disappeared for several months and he basically was sitting on a chaise longue.”
In the past, the palace often kept royal diagnoses from the public – though this has started to change in recent years.
King Charles and the Princess of Wales went public with their respective cancer diagnoses in 2024. However, several details have been kept private, such as the type of cancer.
“I think in some ways, people now sometimes say too much,” Hugo added. “We don’t need to know every single detail. And indeed, of course, with the present Princess of Wales, we don’t know details and rightly so in my view.”
Buckingham Palace previously revealed that the King had chosen to go public with his cancer diagnosis due to his work with several cancer-related charities when he was Prince of Wales.
To hear more about the new revelations, listen to HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast. Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History is published on 9 April.
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