On Wednesday, July 22, Prince Philip will be attending his second public engagement within a couple of days after officially retiring from royal duties in 2017. The Duke of Edinburgh will be succeeded as the Colonel-In-Chief of The Rifles by his daughter-in-law Duchess Camilla.
Prince Philip is succeeded by Duchess Camilla as Colonel-In-Chief
In order to maintain social distancing in times of COVID-19, and to protect the health of the 99-year-old, the transfer of the regimental title to the Duchess of Cornwall will take place in two separate locations. Philip will take part in an official ceremony at Windsor Castle, and then it will continue at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, where Camilla will attend.
The Duke has been the Colonel-In-Chief of the infantry regiment ever since its formation in 2007. He always enjoyed having close contact with the Armed Forces - he had to give up his thriving career in the Royal Navy when the young Elizabeth became Queen in 1952 and had real trouble accepting his role of Consort of the British monarch back in the day.
A wonderful life
In 2017, at the age of 96, Prince Philip retired from all royal duties after having completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952. Ever since his retirement, he has only been seen in public a handful of times, including his appearance alongside his wife Queen Elizabeth II at the secret wedding of Princess Beatrice on July 17.
After the transfer of the regimental title on Wednesday, we will probably not see Prince Philip for a while, which is understandable since he already celebrated his 99th birthday this year and needs to conserve his strength. Let's hope he will stay in good health for the years to come!
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