The Palace called for an emergency meeting this morning…
The Queen called an emergency meeting this morning at Buckingham Palace, with royal staff from across the country gathering in London for the announcement – some were even informed the night before so they could travel down from Balmoral to be in attendance.
From the get-go, the meeting was rumoured to be about Prince Philip, the Queen’s 95-year-old husband who has suffered a few health scares in recent years, and due to the urgency and scale of the meeting, some jumped to conclusions, with French media reporting that he had died.
The internet had already started mourning with platforms sharing their favourite memories of the icon and photos of the Queen and Prince Philip through the ages.
The Palace, however, were quick to quash rumours, announcing ‘You can safely assume the Queen and Prince Philip are not dead,’ and that the meeting is ‘not about the health of the Queen or Prince Philip’, according to the BBC’s royal correspondent Peter Hunt.
The announcement, made by the Lord Chamberlain this morning, is that Prince Philip, who turns 96 next month, will be retiring from royal duties this autumn.
Prince Philip is said to have made the decision to step down from public life himself, with his choice supported by the Queen, who will continue to carry out public engagements.
While the Duke of Edinburgh will continue to be a member of some of the 780 organisations he is currently involved in, ‘he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements.’
Both the Queen and Prince Philip are said to be in good health.
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