ROYAL FAMILY NEWSPrince Philip Health Shocker: Late Royal Was Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer 8 Years Before 2021 Death, New Book Reveals
Prince Philip was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer eight years before his 2021 death, a new book claims.
March 30 2026, Published 11:10 a.m. ET
Prince Philip suffered from pancreatic cancer eight years before his 2021 passing.
According to royal author Hugo Vickers' new book about the late Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh was diagnosed with the disease in 2013 following a hospital stay.
Prince Philip Recovered at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate
Prince Philip died at the age of 99 in 2021.
"Doctors had detected a shadow on his pancreas, and had cut him right across his stomach,” Vickers wrote. “The verdict was inoperable pancreatic cancer.”
Philip stayed at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk to recuperate before returning to public duties in August 2013.
Prince Philip Died 2 Months Before His 100th Birthday
Prince Philip retired from public duties in 2017.
The Greek-born royal, who retired from public engagements in 2017, died in April 2021 at the age of 99 at Windsor Castle, with his cause of death being given as "old age."
Vickers also noted in his biography Philip “did not want to reach his 100th birthday” because he “disliked the fuss attendant at such events."
“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 wrote about Philip's final moments.
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Queen Elizabeth Was Not Present With Him When He Died
King Charles took the throne after Queen Elizabeth died in 2022.
“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 book went on.
“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,'" Vickers wrote.
The monarch “was ‘absolutely furious that, as so often in life, [Philip] left without saying goodbye.’”
Queen Elizabeth Died in September 2022
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth married in 1947.
The Queen herself passed away in September 2022 at the age of 96, more than a year after her beloved Philip died. He was previously hospitalized in December 2011 for a blocked coronary artery.
The sovereign also died from "old age" at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, with her heir, King Charles, immediately taking over the British throne.
Her daughter, Princess Anne, was by her side during her final hours.
