Royals
Prince Philip, 95, Is Retiring From All Public Duties — See How Queen Elizabeth Feels About Her Husband’s Decision!
Time to eat cake and drink tea all day!
On Thursday, May 4, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip will be retiring from all his public duties. The 95-year-old — who is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II — will no longer accept invitations to royal events starting in September.
"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," the Buckingham Palace statement said.
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Philip and Elizabeth on April 16.
"Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen," the statement continued. "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."
Royal fans went into a frenzy last night when news leaked of an "emergency royal meeting." The Queen called her senior royal staff to come to Buckingham Palace so she could tell them the news before the big public announcement.
Earlier this year, Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler, exclusively revealed to Closer Weekly that the Queen, 91, is "reluctantly slowing down" herself. "Overseas tours are now, for her, in the past, and this is where [Prince William] and [Kate Middleton] will step into the breach," Burell said.
Elizabeth and Philip will celebrate 70 years of marriage this November, so with the two scaling back from the spotlight, at least it will leave more time for them to spend together. One thing is for sure, though, we'll miss you, Prince Philip!
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