After 637 solo overseas trips, 5,493 speeches and authoring 14 books – Prince Philip had had enough.
The 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh officially retired from royal duties, or in his words “ribbon cutting”, in August this year.
Now Queen Elizabeth’s beloved husband is putting his feet up and truly enjoying what life has to offer.
The Duke is living at Wood Farm on their Sandringham estate, but his new life of leisure is coming at a cost – sadly he is seeing less of his wife than ever before.
The Duke of Edinburgh attended his last official royal engagement on Wednesday August 4 2017, at the Captain General’s Parade on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
A friend of the royal couple told the Daily Mail, “He is enjoying reading things he’s always wanted to read and gets up to what he wants without an equerry telling him he has to be elsewhere, or a camera following him.”
The father-of-four is certainly fond of his relatively normal life, now that he is living in a cottage.
The house, which had a new kitchen installed, is a place where Her Majesty and her Prince can behave like a normal couple.
The Daily Mail report, “He loves it there and has made it his retirement base, reading, painting watercolours, writing letters and having friends to stay. “
And it is all with “his wife’s blessing.”
The Duke is considered one of the hardest-working royals so his retirement is very well earned.
Her Majesty believes her husband deserves to relax.
“The Queen feels the Duke has earned a proper retirement.”
“She knows him too well — if he was still at the centre of royal life he’d feel he had to be involved. Being at Wood Farm means he’s not too far away, but far enough to be able to relax.”
While she understands that Philip needs his own space, the 91-year-old monarch does miss her husband.
The publication explained the couple always had breakfast together, without fail, whereas “now, she sits alone and is rarely seen before the daily 11am meeting with her private secretary.”
Her daughter Princess Anne and daughter-in-law Sophie, the Countess of Wessex have amped up their time with the Queen so that she doesn’t feel alone.
Apparently there’s also a “granny rota” where Her Majesty’s grandkids “make sure they are around more, especially at teatime.”
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” the monarch has mused.
Together, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have achieved so much.
Later this month on November 20th, they’ll ring in their 70th wedding anniversary.
While she’s called Philip her “strength and stay”, “an angel” and “the best and nicest man in the world” – this year they’ll be skipping the lavish party.
A close confidant of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s told The Daily Mail that they couldn’t bear the idea of hosting a shin-dig after losing so many of their dear friends over the past few years.
But such a milestone still deserves a royal salute!
According to the report, Her Majesty and her Prince will have “no public festivities”, rather an intimate dinner party for their “a select group of their closest friends and family member.”
The couple became man and wife on November 20, 1947.
