Prince Philip has made the decision not to attend the traditional Maundy church service that he was scheduled to attend with Queen Elizabeth on Thursday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, 96, had been listed in the Order of Service as attending but pulled out at the last-minute.
People quotes a royal source as saying some “trouble with his hip” may have been to blame for the abrupt cancellation.
Buckingham Palace would not comment on the royal’s health, but a palace spokesperson did note: “The Order of Service was printed some weeks ago when it was hoped the Duke would be able to take part. HRH has since decided not to attend.”
Nonetheless, the Queen appeared in good spirits as she attended the service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle – the same church Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen for their wedding on 19 May.
The service commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ and, as is tradition, presents an opportunity for the Queen to show humility as she distributes gifts to pensioners. This year, the monarch smiled warmly as she distributed ‘Maundy money’ to 92 men and 92 women, marking the fact that she will be 92 this year.
Despite Prince Philip’s last-minute cancellation, the Queen attended the service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The beloved monarch appeared in good spirits as carried out official duties.
Philip’s abrupt cancellation comes less than two weeks after the royal pulled out of a ceremony at Windsor Castle. It’s not known whether the same condition was to blame.
According to the Daily Mail, the Duke of Edinburgh, 96, was expected to formally hand his role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards onto his son, Prince Andrew at Windsor Castle on March 22 but could not attend as he was feeling “unwell.”
It’s understood there are no serious concerns over the beloved royal’s health, but at his age — and after several bouts of ill health in recent years — doctors remain on high-alert.
Since retiring from public life last year, Prince Philip has only made a handful of appearances alongside his wife the Queen.
In August last year, the Duke officially retired from public life after decades of loyal service.
In a statement at the time, Buckingham Palace 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 is considered one of the hardest-working royals.
“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,” the statement concluded.
The Duke is considered one of the hardest-working royals and conducted 110 days of appearances last year – outnumbering several young family members — including Prince William.
We wish the beloved royal a very speedy recovery!
