Queen Elizabeth Has Alzheimer’s? Can’t Recall Kate Middleton, Prince William Wedding, Report Says

Queen Elizabeth II is suffering from symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, a brain condition that causes memory loss and impaired ability to think clearly, and Britain’s long-reigning monarch often forgets that Prince William and Kate Middleton were married, among other heartbreaking lapses, a new report says.

Queen Elizabeth II has occupied the throne of the United Kingdom for 62 years and seven months, ascending to the monarchy on February 6, 1952. Her reign still leaves the 88-year-old queen a year short of the record 63 years and seven months that her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria reigned over the U.K.

But Queen Elizabeth II has shown very few signs of slowing down or that her health is seriously challenged, even at her advanced age — unless this new report of her Alzheimer’s Disease is correct.

The caveat is that report originates with a national U.S. supermarket tabloid, The Globe, the source of numerous celebrity rumors, some of which prove accurate — and many which do not. But given her age, the Globe report of Queen Elizabeth’s neurological problems is not a stretch to believe. According to the Alzheimer’s Society of the U.K., one of every six British citizens over the age of 80 suffers from some form of dementia, and Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia symptoms.

“According to the Globe report, in addition to forgetting the wedding of her own grandson and second-in-line to the throne, Prince William, to Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth has recently been found by aides roaming aimlessly around palace gardens “lost and confused.”

She has even reportedly confused her son, the 65-year-old Prince Charles — who will become King of England when his mother either passes away or steps aside due to illness — with her husband, Prince Philip, who is 93 years old himself. Queen Elizabeth, then still a princess, married Prince Philip in 1947.

The Queen’s aides are “desperately trying to hide” the queen’s “shocking new health crisis,” the report claims.

According to a report in Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper at the start of this year, Queen Elizabeth has already, mostly behind the scenes, begun to hand over portions of her royal duties to Prince Charles.

At the time, aides insisted that the queen remained “in excellent health,” while admitting that “she is inevitably becoming a little more frail because of her age.”

Prince William was also said to be assuming an increased share of the royal workload, but with his pregnant wife Kate Middleton incapacitated with a severe nausea condition for almost six weeks now, the younger royal heir will likely be putting his additional responsibilities on hold for the time being.

Though her reign is still a full year shorter than Queen Victoria’s, Queen Elizabeth II is the oldest British monarch ever to hold the throne, already outliving her great-great grandmother by six years.