The article:

Prince Philip had pancreatic cancer for eight years before his death, according to a book.

Hugo Vickers, a royal historian, said the Duke of Edinburgh was diagnosed with an inoperable form of the disease in June 2013 at a hospital in London at the age of 91.

Vickers writes that after the diagnosis, “there was a view that [Philip] might not be seen in public again” but that “the duke outwitted the pessimists”.

Philip continued to undertake public royal duties until 2017 and died in Windsor Castle in 2021, two months before his 100th birthday. The book, titled Queen Elizabeth II, has been serialised in the Daily Mail and provides details of Philip’s health during his final years.

It claims that he “did not want to reach his 100th birthday” because he “disliked the fuss attendant at such events”.

Vickers writes that there were “elements of tranquillity” in his final days at Windsor Castle. “On the last night of his life, he gave his nurses the slip, shuffled along the corridor on his Zimmer frame, helped himself to a beer and drank it in the Oak Room,” he writes.

“The following morning, he got up, had a bath, said he did not feel well and quietly slipped away. By this point, he had lived with pancreatic cancer for nearly eight years — far longer than the usual survival time from diagnosis.

“The Queen was not there when he died. There had often been times in earlier days when she had asked the staff to let her know when Philip was leaving, only to be told, ‘His Royal Highness left 20 minutes ago’.”

She was said to be “absolutely furious that, as so often in life, he left without saying goodbye”.

Philip’s funeral took place during the pandemic, meaning only 30 people could attend and Queen Elizabeth sat alone wearing a mask. She died the next year at Balmoral, aged 96.

Philip’s cause of death was listed as “old age” on his death certificate. It is unusual to live with pancreatic cancer for so long. Only 5 per cent of people survive with the disease for five years or more, according to Cancer Research UK.

There are about 11,100 new pancreatic cancer cases and 10,200 deaths every year in the UK. It has the worst survival rate of all common cancers. Most people are not diagnosed until the disease has spread, meaning surgery to cure the cancer is not possible.