Why Isn't Prince Philip at Trooping the Colour?
Typically Queen Elizabeth is accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, to the annual Trooping the Colour parade each June. This year, however, the Queen arrived solo at the parade that marks her official birthday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who turns 97 on Sunday, was also noticeably missing from the balcony at Buckingham Palace where the rest of the royal family got together for a photo opp and to watch the military flyover.
After 64 years of service, Prince Philip retired from public life last August.
According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, "The Duke of Edinburgh will no longer undertake his own program of public engagements. The Captain General's Parade will bring His Royal Highness's individual program to a conclusion, although he may choose to attend certain events, alongside The Queen, from time to time."
This isn't the first event the oldest member of the royal family has missed this year, so it comes as no surprise that he decided to sit out the Trooping the Colour. This spring, he cancelled appearances at Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday services in advance of a hip replacement surgery that took place a few days later in early April.
However, the success of that surgery meant that not only was he able to attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May, but also was able to walk into it on his own. The May 19 event was the last time he has been seen in public.
Prince Philip and the Queen used to arrive on horseback at the annual parade held in honor of the Queen's official birthday on a Saturday in June every year, but in recent decades they have started attending the event in a carriage.
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