Prince Philip, the 95-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, is to retire from carrying out royal engagements later this year, Buckingham Palace has announced.
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The Queen's royal staff were called from across Britain to London to attend an eleventh-hour meeting at Buckingham Palace on Thursday morning, triggering questions about the health of the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Those questions were put to rest when Buckingham Palace issued a statement just after 10am London time, stating that Prince Philip, who is associated with more than 780 organisaions, would stand down from royal duties.
"Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen," it said.
"Thereafter, The Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain events from time to time."
Prince Philip, who turns 96 in June, was on public duty on Wednesday, opening a new multimillion-dollar grandstand at Lord's cricket ground in London, named after former England captain Sir Pelham Warner.
He will continue to be associated with organisations but he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements. When the Duke turned 90, he stepped down as president or patron of more than a dozen organisations.
The Queen will continue to carry out a full program of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family, the statement said.
The royal couple called a halt to long-haul travel in recent years, handing this and other responsibilities to son and heir Prince Charles, and grandsons, princes William and Harry.
British Prime Minister Theresa May paid tribute to Prince Philip for his contribution to Britain and beyond, his "steadfast support" of Queen Elizabeth and for his patronage of hundreds of charities and good causes.
"On behalf of the whole country, I want to offer our deepest gratitude and good wishes to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh following today's announcement that he will stand down from public duties in the autumn," she said.
Australia's acting prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, was returning from a trip to Whyalla in South Australia on Thursday afternoon en route to his home in Tamworth in northern NSW when his plane was diverted to Canberra, in anticipation of some kind of royal announcement.
Mr Joyce expressed his relief that the news from the palace had not been health-related.
"We wish him all the very best. It says something about an individual that they get to the age of 95 before they decide to officially retire," Mr Joyce said.
"It's something to aim for."
Mr Joyce admitted he had booked the Prime Minister's press conference venue at Parliament House in case he had to make an announcement about the Queen.
"But we ended up ringing the bell in the corridor [in the press gallery]," he said. "It de-escalated."
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer said the palace's announcement was very noteworthy.
This was because it means Australia's last living Australian Field Marshal will now longer participate in public events ahead of the main centenaries of the First World War.
Robert Menzies made the Duke of Edinburgh an Australian Field Marshal in 1954 in a purely ceremonial gesture. It's the highest rank in the Army.
Liberal backbencher Eric Abetz said Philip had touched the lives of thousands and provided lifelong skills through the Duke of Edinburgh awards.
The Duke's retirement from public engagements comes as he and the Queen and prepare to mark their platinum wedding anniversary - 70 years since they wed.
The monarch, now 91, and the Duke had a busy 2016 - with the Queen celebrating her high-profile 90th birthday with a public walkabout and a private black tie banquet for friends and loved ones in Windsor Castle.
Official commemorations of the Queen's milestone anniversary were held in June 2016 - when Prince Philip also reached his 95th birthday - and the Royal Family were out in force for a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.
The weekend of festivities included the traditional Trooping the Colour parade, and a street party in The Mall, during which the Queen and Prince Philip rode down the famous thoroughfare, standing in an open-top "Queen-mobile", waving at the picnickers.
In 2015, the Queen became the nation's longest reigning monarch - and this year reached her Sapphire Jubilee - having now been on the throne for more than 65 years - with Prince Philip at her side.
Reuters, PA, AAP
