Prince Philip, who is 95, will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The Palace said in a statement it was the The Duke of Edinburgh’s decision taken with the support of the Queen.
It said: “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.
“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 (second left) is shown a number of bats by Dr Chinmay Gupte (second right) and John Stephenson (right), during a visit to Lord’s cricket ground CREDIT:ARTHUR EDWARDS/PA WIRE
“Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.”
Philip has generally been in good health in recent years and On Wednesday when he opened a new stand at Lord’s cricket ground in central London looked relaxed, lively and walked confidently down a flight of uneven steps when he strode onto the outfield.
But it appears the Duke has decided that, now in his advanced years, the time has come to step back from royal duties that can involve extensive travel.
The duke carried out 110 days of engagements in 2016, making him the fifth busiest member of the royal family, according to Court Circular listings.
He is patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and will continue to be associated with them, but “will no longer play an active role by attending engagements”, Buckingham Palace said.
In the statement, the spokesman said the duke “may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time”.
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