Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has announced that he is retiring from all royal duties at the age of 96.
At a top-secret emergency meeting called at Buckingham Palace today, the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch announced that he will no longer be conducting royal duties as of Autumn this year.
In a statement made at Buckingham Palace, the senior officer of Royal Househol,d Sir Christopher Geidt, stated: “His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, The Duke has the full support of The Queen.”
He added, “Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen. Thereafter, The Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time.”
“The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron, President or a member of over 780 organisations, with which he will continue to be associated, although he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements. Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.”
Prince Philip married Queen Elizabeth in 1947, and has recently been portrayed by British actor Matt Smith in the Netflix series The Crown. Many are concerned about the health of Queen Elizabeth, but all sources report that she is in good health.