Kensington Palace has paid tribute to Prince Philip with a touching Twitter message as he celebrates his 97th birthday.
The Duke, who retired last summer, is celebrating privately today after missing out on Saturday’s Trooping the Colour ceremony.
The palace tweeted: ‘Wishing the Duke of Edinburgh a happy 97th birthday! #HappyBirthdayHRH,’ alongside two images of Philip which have quickly racked up thousands of likes and shares.
On Saturday, the rest of the royal family gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a spectacular Red Arrows flypast.
Kensington Palace wrote: ‘Wishing the Duke of Edinburgh a happy 97th birthday! #HappyBirthdayHRH,’ alongside two images of Philip on Sunday morning
Retirement: Philip has kept something of a low profile since conducting his final solo public engagement in August, the last of 22,219 attended since the queen ascended to the throne in 1952 (the couple are pictured on their diamond wedding anniversary in 2007)
Philip was officially succeeded as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards by his son, Prince Andrew, who rode for the first time during yesterday’s parade.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that Philip would be spending the day privately on his first birthday since retiring after a lifetime of public service.
The nonagenarian has kept something of a low profile since conducting his final solo public engagement in August, the last of 22,219 attended since the queen ascended to the throne in 1952.
However, he did attend the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle on May 19, despite undergoing a hip replacement on April 4.
Stepping down: Philip was officially succeeded as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards by his son, Prince Andrew, who rode for the first time during yesterday’s parade
The former naval officer has rarely celebrated his birthday and, in his working years, often used to turn out for engagements as normal.
At the wedding of Harry and Meghan, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the prince arrived by car with the queen, waving to the crowds at Windsor Castle.
Prince Philip was the patron, president or member of more than 780 organisations. He carried out 637 visits abroad on his own and gave almost 5,500 speeches.
Missing out: On Saturday, the rest of the royal family gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a spectacular Red Arrows flypast
Rare appearance: At the wedding of Harry and Meghan, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the prince arrived by car with the queen, waving to the crowds at Windsor Castle
Since retiring, he has spent much of his time at Windsor, west of London, and at the queen’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, with occasional visits to London.
He has also been spotted carriage driving – a sport he took up in the 1970s after stopping playing polo.
Although the duke has stepped down from public duties, his roles within the royal family continue.
While the Queen focuses on affairs of state, Philip is in charge of matters such as running the royal estates, and maintains a small office dealing with correspondence.