It was announced on Thursday that the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, is to retire from partaking in royal engagements from autumn this year.
The announcement ended some feverish speculation in the early hours of Thursday morning that one of the Royal couple had died after word leaked that employees of the Queen had been urgently summoned to Buckingham Palace from across the UK.
It turns out they are both alive and well.
A media advisory was sent out stating that Phillip has “the full support of the Queen” in his decision to take a step back at the ripe old age of 95.
“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.”
While Phillip is 95, The Queen is the longest reigning living monarch at 91 and will be continuing her full public engagement schedule. The couple will be marking yet another incredible milestone later this year when they celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in November.
While some may be anxious at Phillip taking a step back – he is associated with a whopping 780 organisations after all – Royal correspondents in the UK claim sources close to the family indicate that there is “no cause for concern” when it comes to the health of The Queen or Phillip.
Prince Philip has “full support” of the Queen in deciding to stop public engagements – Buckingham Palace statement https://t.co/E47Nd4atqK pic.twitter.com/rr2SMgoUEE
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 4, 2017
Royal lovers, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Now all you have to do is keep waiting for that Prince Harry wedding you’ve been dreaming of.
With Nic Andersen