Prince Philip Makes Rare Public Appearance 3 Years After Retirement
Prince Philip made a rare public appearance on Wednesday and attended a military ceremony at Windsor Castle.
During the ceremony, the Duke of Edinburgh transferred his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. He was also thanked for his 67 years of service to The Rifles. The 99-year-old royal wore a suit and tie for the occasion.
As for the duchess, she conducted the second part of the formal handover from her home, Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire. She was greeted by four buglers of The Band and Bugles of The Rifles, who played The Rifles Assembly. The Rifles' Colonel Commandant, General Sir Patrick Sanders, then welcomed her as the new Colonel-in-Chief. The short ceremony concluded with the buglers playing The Rifles Regimental Call and The Advance.
The 73-year-old royal and wife of Prince Charles wore a green dress with black trim for the occasion, which was modeled after The Rifles' uniform. The dress also featured buttons with a bugle design on them. In fact, they were the same buttons worn on the soldiers' tunics. She also donned a Rifles brooch.
Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip's Romance Through the Years
Prince Philip officially retired from his royal duties in May 2017. Since then, his public appearances have become less frequent.
Prince Philip has been social distancing with Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor amid the global coronavirus pandemic. While they've been staying at the castle, they did head out for the private wedding of Princess Beatrice on July 17. Her Majesty also held her first public engagement since the pandemic began on this same day for the knighting of Captain Sir Thomas Moore.
