Prince Philip technically retired from his royal duties in 2017, but he’s making some exceptions when it comes to the many regal roles he’s held over the years.
On Wednesday, the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh stepped out concurrently with his daughter-in-law Duchess Camilla for a very special ceremony – and if the words alone don’t convince you that this near-centenarian is a force to be reckoned with, the pictures certainly will.
Stepping out at Windsor Castle on a sunny afternoon in Britain, the Prince was joined by soldiers, buglers and indeed Duchess Camilla (though not in the way you’d expect) as he formerly transferred his role as colonel-in-chief of The Rifles.
The buglers poignantly played the No More Parades call in order to mark his final ceremony as colonel-in-chief, a role he has held since 2007.
Prince Philip stepped out for his final ceremony as colonel-in-chief of The Rifles.
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As mentioned above, the ceremony wasn’t your ordinary transfer – in fact, almost 160km away, Duchess Camilla stepped out at the same time in Western England, where she was welcomed by Rifles’ Colonel Commandant General Sir Patrick Sanders as the new colonel-in-chief.
Camilla was formerly the Royal Colonel of 4th Battalion The Rifles, so the takeover from Philip was a natural progression as the Duke continues to step away from public life.
160km away, Camilla too stepped out to step into Philip’s former role.
(Getty)If you glance even for the smallest moments at the images from the day, one thing will be very clear – both royals were absolutely glowing as they stepped out in their respective locations.
Philip wore a smart suit with a green, red and black printed tie, while Camilla also wore a similar hued green dress.
Indeed the Duchesses bottle green design was a bespoke creation modelled on the rifles uniform, according to HELLO!, and was adorned with a Rifles brooch for the occasion.
Speaking before the ceremony, General Sanders said: “It’s a bittersweet day because we’re enormously proud of our association with the Duke of Edinburgh who has been the most amazing Colonel-in-Chief and we’ve really flourished under his tenure.”
He continued: “But it’s also really special to have the Duchess of Cornwall coming in because she has a long association with The Rifles.
“She has been absolutely inspiring and the support that she’s given and the way that she sustained that through some quite difficult and bloody tours.”
It was a rarity to see Philip, who retired from his royal duties back in 2017.
(Getty)This also marks the second time we’ve seen the 99-year-old Prince within a week (no small feat given his appearances are extremely rare these days).
Indeed on Friday, his granddaughter Princess Beatrice was married at Windsor to her partner Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a beautiful low-key ceremony.
In an official image released after the nuptials, Philip is seen looking on proud as punch next to wife Queen Elizabeth and the newlyweds.
Talk about a royal spectacle of a week!
Philip and The Queen joined Beatrice and new husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi for an official portrait following their wedding ceremony on Friday.
(Image: Benjamin Wheeler / PA)
