Prince Philip Set To Retire From His Royal Duties This Fall

Prince Philip, known as the Duke of Edinburgh and Royal consort of Queen Elizabeth II, is reported to retire from his royal duties starting fall of this year. The Buckingham palace already released a statement about the issue but did not disclose the reasons for the Prince Philip's retirement.

The Palace said through New York Times: "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."

Several media outlets around the world have been setting up camp in the Buckingham Palace after news circulated that an emergency meeting has been set up by the Queen herself. All kinds of speculations arose -- ranging from whether there was a royal death, a security threat, or a royal family emergency. In the end, they got the announcement of the surprise resignation of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Philip is already 95 years old and has been the royal consort of Queen Elizabeth II for 70 years, the longest marriage in British royal history. Before he was wed to the Queen, Prince Philip served with the Royal Navy during World War II and is already a royal since birth. He was born on June 10, 1921, to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, according to NBC News.

Prince Philip was known by the royal household as a steady man with strong convictions. Over the years, he has drawn lots of flak from the press for his blunt comments. There was a time during his visit to Canada in 1976 when he said, "We don't come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves."

The Palace said that although Prince Philip won't be performing any royal engagements, he might still attend some public events. Since officials won't say the legitimate reason for his retirement, many speculate it's because of the Prince Philip's ill health.