Well I'm sure you've all heard by now. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II is retiring. What does this mean?
Of course, you can't retire from being somebody's spouse (well you can, but he's not divorcing Elizabeth). What it does mean, is that he won't be taking on public engagements from August. He will still accompany The Queen when they go somewhere as a couple, but people can no longer ask him to attend a school opening etc.
Philip is not the first person to do this. A few years ago Prince Henrik of Denmark, the consort of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark also stepped down from public office. It's a high pressure job, and The Duke of Edinburgh is 96 come June. I'm sure he is tired and would rather spend his time with his grandchildren, two of whom are still young, and his 5 great grandchildren.
This does mean the younger generation will have to step up. Princess Anne, Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Edward and The Countess of Wessex already work very hard. We may now see Prince Andrew, Prince William, The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry taking on more roles.
I wish Prince Philip all the best in his retirement and hope he finds it relaxing. Thank you for all your years of service to The Commonwealth!
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