Prince Philip’s health details raise new questions
RadarOnline.com can reveal Prince Philip almost died twice after undergoing secret heart surgery in 2021.
According to a new book, Queen Elizabeth’s late husband fell ill early that year and was admitted to a London hospital for tests before being transferred to another medical center to undergo surgery.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers claims in his new book Queen Elizabeth II, writing: “The Duke of Edinburgh, then aged 99, was admitted to the Edward VII Hospital in London for tests.”
“On March 1, he was transferred to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital where he underwent surgery on his heart. His medical team almost lost him twice.”
Although Prince Philip survived the alleged operation, his health never recovered and he died in April 2021 at the age of 99.
The revelation comes next RadarOnline.com revealed that Philip has become the center of renewed medical debate after shocking claims, including from Vickers, that the royal family somehow managed to live for eight years with fatal pancreatic cancer.
Despite the author’s astonishing claim, experts told us they are now questioning whether it is likely that someone could have lived with this variant of the deadly disease for almost a decade – when the usual life expectancy, once discovered, could be just a few months.
A medical expert familiar with pancreatic cancer outcomes told us: “Eight-year survival in what is described as inoperable pancreatic cancer would be considered very unusual – it immediately raises questions about the specific type of tumor involved and whether it behaved differently from the most common forms.”
Another specialist added: “When you see survival on that scale, doctors typically consider whether it was a less aggressive subtype, rather than the more typical and rapidly progressing cancers associated with the pancreas.”
Pancreatic cancer is widely considered one of the most difficult cancers to treat, partly because it is often diagnosed late and tends to spread quickly. The most common form, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, accounts for the vast majority of cases and has a five-year survival rate of only 5 to 10 percent.
Many patients die within months of diagnosis, even if they are otherwise healthy.
A medical source added: “The standard form of pancreatic cancer is extremely aggressive and is often discovered at an advanced stage, which is why survival rates remain so low despite advances in treatment. The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen and early symptoms are often vague, meaning diagnosis often comes too late for curative intervention.”
Specialists point to rarer forms of pancreatic cancer that may provide a possible explanation for longer survival.
These include neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas, which develop in hormone-producing cells and tend to grow more slowly. These make up a small minority of cases but can produce significantly better outcomes, especially if caught earlier.
A source with clinical experience in cancer treatment said: “There are forms of pancreatic cancer that behave very differently – some grow slowly and can be treated over several years, even if they are not considered operable in the traditional sense. While still serious, these rarer tumors may allow for extended survival that would not be expected with the more common pancreatic cancers.”
Examples of extended survival have been documented in such cases, including high-profile patients who lived for years after diagnosis. However, experts caution that outcomes vary widely depending on tumor type, stage and overall health.
Medical specialists also emphasize the difficulty of early detection, with symptoms such as abdominal pain, jaundice, weight loss and digestive changes often only appearing after the disease has progressed. Emerging research focuses on earlier diagnoses through screening and new treatments, although many approaches are still in development.
Our medical source said: “One of the ongoing challenges is identifying the disease before it reaches an advanced stage – by the time overt symptoms appear, treatment options are often limited. Progress is being made in detection and targeted therapies, but pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging areas in oncology.”
The claims surrounding Philip’s reported diagnosis have not been independently verified, and no official medical details have been released, which a palace source admitted has reignited conspiracy theories about Philip’s condition before his death.
