By Molly Claire Goddard
2:41pm PDT, Sep 11, 2025
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One former royal staffer is giving insight into
Queen Elizabeth II's final moments. Ex-butler
Paul Burrell opened up about how her health waned in the days leading up to her death at 96 in September 2022.
Keep reading to see what he had to say… MORE:
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Paul Burrell — who worked as a footman for Queen Elizabeth II in 1976 and later served as
King Charles III and
Princess Diana's butler — claimed the former monarch was forced to slow down in the weeks leading up to her death amid a rumored battle with cancer. "The queen had been very poorly during her last days and was mainly bedridden. She was 96 and had refused any more treatment," he
said. "Throughout her life, lunch was at 1 p.m., tea at 5 p.m. and dinner at 8:15 p.m. But she stopped going for meals in the dining room. Instead, she was having trays of food delivered to her room and she was eating very little."
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Queen Elizabeth II wasn't eager to fight her illness after her husband, Prince Philip, died at 99 in April 2021. "It wasn't long after Prince Philip had died that she was diagnosed with cancer, in the summer of 2021. It was devastating for her so soon after losing him," Paul Burrell claimed. "At the very end she had good and bad days. There were some days when she couldn't get out of bed. But she always made an effort."
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As the typically energetic Queen Elizabeth II became more ill, her appearance highlighted her decline. "The monarch was fading away in front of the nation's eyes. Her dresses weren't fitting properly and she was looking paler and thinner. I think we all knew it was inevitable," Paul Burrell recalled.
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Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at the royal family's estate in Scotland, surrounded by her loved ones. "It was poignant for the queen to die at Balmoral, her favorite home. Most of the household had no idea what had happened that day. Estate workers were going about their business as normal," Paul Burrell claimed.
