The Queen is VERY elderly. I think people almost forget this.

[ChicChicChicChiclana]

Yes, she is 5 years younger than her husband who is still alive.

And she is 7 years or so younger than her mother was when she died.

But she's 93, nearly 94!!

In my middle class well cared for and generally healthy extended family, the longest lived have been 93 and 95. Most elderly relatives die in their 80s (no complaints here, that's still a very fair innings).

But HRH still gets out of the house, without walking aids, and puts in a public appearance more often than not.

She's extraordinary. Does anyone else here have a 93 year old in their family who is equally sprightly?

Elderly? She’s very old.

Demented ma..make sure her magnesium is up to scratch
If bones ate getting broken and taking a long time to heal it can often be a depletion of vital minerals causing it

"I don't think it's a stress free life by any means. Different stresses, but stress nonetheless. And weren't the same doctors available to Margaret? "

Princess Margaret smoked

The Queen appears never to have done so

Love these stories! All my grandparents died in their seventies or early eighties - finding these long life tales so joyous but tinged with sadness as my lovely GPs never had a chance to meet my daughter.
My husband lost all his immediate family young. His mum was 72 when she died and every other family member died before 70. Feel sad for him, and that my daughter will have no GPs on his side.
We are older parents - would love it if we went on relatively healthy and independent on til our 90s!

I bet there would be a lot more people like the Queen if they’d had the same sort of pampered and cosseted life she’d had.

I like the royals, I know they do a lot but her life is hardly going to have had the same toll on the body as 50 years hard graft and stress about providing for her family.

My grandmother made it to 97, but she really shouldn’t have to be honest. Her health was awful from the age of 82/83 and she was pretty much bed bound for the last couple of years. She was suffering and It was also an awful period for my poor DM (only child).

@AuntieStella Those were factors for all the people of the generation now in their 90s. Most of them died in their 50s - 70s.

I wonder, also, if the fact that she has kept working at what she does through her entire life has made her stay younger than her years

I’m a firm believer in this.

Baths with doors are nota good idea. Getting cold waiting for them to drain before you can open the door
Wetroom is better

We’ve all told her this. But she reckons she knows better. And we all know better than to argue with her

secret of long living family good genes or at least not the wrong ones in DF family big health problems are hereditary short sightedness and deafness which is much less likely to result in early death than hereditary cornoary artery disease or high cholesterol
a basically long term healthy life style DF is 96 as mentioned earlier never smoked we were always just above "just about managing" no debts but had to be careful with moneyp; because his father allowed his unmarried daughters to stay in family home my father only inherited from his father last year all my grandparents lived to mid80's early 90's
eats three meals a day; moderation in all foods. nothing banned no faddy diets eats wide variety of home grown fruit and veg;
meals cooked from scratch 95% of the time, since retirement kept moderately active in body and mind walks gardens visits garden centres museums reads the paper keeps up with current affairs not a couch potato just does usual stuff more slowly doesn't think the world owes him a living

if you read about communities with long life spans on average whether italy Japan or wherever the general thing is the same simple natural food and plenty of natural outdoor exercise incorporated into lifestyle ( not gym bunnies) treats kept to special occasions and feasts not super rich but not poverty striken either

@RoseAndRose yes, that's my point. The doctors can't overcome things any more for the royals than they can for you and I.

Lots of my relatives (3 grandparents and multiple great aunts/uncles) have lived well into their 90s in reasonable /good health and 1 lived until she was 106. However I agree it's fairly unusual to be both mentally and physically well in your mid 90s and onwards.

@Hotchocolate321 the Queen's mother lived to 101 and was known to enjoy a drink, while the Queen's father lived only into his 50s. The Queen's sister also died young.

So PPs pointing out genes are involved aren't wrong as it appears to be a mixture of genes and environment.

I know from my own extended family members that the ones who are/have lived into their 80s and 90s are the ones who are active in their daily lives. And when they were told by their doctors when they were in their 60s and 70s to move more and eat less cake they did.

Daughter was 101 when she died!

Do you mean your daughter?!?!?!?!

Having the best medical help didn't help the Queen's dad - he died aged 56. So having money helps but it doesn't make you immune to terminal illnesses, just like not having money means you'll die young.

My ex neighbour lost her husband at 31 years old in the war, brought up her kids alone and never remarried - never felt anyone measured up to her late husband. She did her gardening, worked full time, swam until she was 89 years old and used to go to the gym to do the treadmill. She had a glass or two of wine each day and had a very basic diet - in her final years she only ate sandwiches. Lived until she was 103 years old.

Yes, having cash helps but as my mum used to say, the Queen can't just say 'sod it, I don't fancy doing the State Opening of Parliament' or 'I want to catch up on EastEnders tonight, not entertain Trump or whoever'. Whereas my mum could just say she didn't want to go somewhere and not pitch up. It's a very nice, comfortable gilded cage I think.

My great grandmother was 99 when she died in the 60s.
She was very sprightly apparently, walked all over the place, took her grandson trainspotting and spent hours standing in stations well into her 90s.
On the day she died she cooked lunch for the whole family as she always did, felt a bit ill in the afternoon so took a nap and never woke up.

*My great grandma used yo dog the garden at 93, she was amazing
I love that the queen still rides too

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Millie2013 Mon 24-Feb-20 19:11:07
To dig!*

Millie, THANK YOU! Ive had a shit day and your typo cheered me up no end! -grin]

Yep. An auntie who is 91, still goes hiking, totally independent and tends her mature 1/4 acre garden entirely on her own.

You notice people who do gardening (& eat their own produce) eat porridge (probably made with water & salt - sorry I like golden syrup not as good for you) who go for country walks OR who have enough money to eat well (as in plenty of veg too) The Queen apparently eats lightly & likes fish drink moderately & is a country woman who walk her dogs & rides horses & probably fishes. her mum use tor fly fish in the Scottish rivers until she was in her 90's but all those salmon got back at her because some time after her fishing retirement she mis swallowed bone & had to be taken into hospital Of course you must carefully choose your ancestors {grin] !

My MIL is still going strong at 89 - mentally sharp as ever and still cycles into town to do her shopping and is a member of loads of social clubs She's got good genes - her own DM lived to be 104 and all her siblings are in their 90s and in fairly good health. Hoping the longevity is passed on to my DC as my side of the family are nothing like that!

There was a bloke of 102 in the opticians when I was in the other week. I did a triple take as did the eye measurey lady 😂😂😂 we both found ourselves gazing when he casually put his shoe up on the chair to tie his laces.

I'd have put him in his 70s at the most. His posture, the way he spoke, everything was that of a.much younger person.

(this thread is like a reverse reading of that old comedy classic "we were so poor that..." )

My grandfathers sisters concession to old age was that she stopped flying transatlantic when she reached 100. She had been travelling from the US to Ireland once a year prior to that.

Never worked a day in her life!?

You can be pro-republic but still recognise that the queen has a really strong sense of duty.

She's a strong character but I hope that Andrew offers himself up the the FBI and takes the consequences with good grace, scandalous though it might be if he received, I don't know, 1 day on probation. He won't even be punished so if he were braver he'd just offer himself up.
That way the Queen could relax knowing that was behind them.

One of my great aunts would walk upstairs carrying two cups of tea in her 90s, I remember her sister being equally in awe and horrified at her being so daring!

She also phoned daily to ask her sister how Bet was - Bet died 20 years earlier so every day this sad news was broken to her