Earlier this week (8 September 2025) marked the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death. Now, a former Palace butler has revealed Her Majesty's ever-stoic four word response to finding out she was terminally unwell the year prior to her passing.
According to Paul Burrell, a butler who previously worked for the late Princess Diana (and who has proven to be a controversial figure over the years), when the Queen heard she was nearing the end of her life, her main focus was on surviving long enough to see her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Burrell claims, via The Mirror, that Elizabeth initially responded with four simple words upon hearing that she had a form of bone cancer: “Well, that's a shame.”
He then adds that Her Royal Highness then went on to say, “Next year is my Platinum Jubilee year and I'd quite like to have seen that. Can you keep me alive for that?”
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations took place in June 2022, just a few months before the Queen ultimately died, so it seems one of her final wishes was granted.
A final image of the Queen was released just two days before she died; it showed the monarch shaking hands with the newly appointed Prime Minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral Castle.
During the meeting, Her Majesty broke with the tradition of greeting a new Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace, citing mobility issues that prevented her from traveling.
