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| Prince Philip to step down from carrying out royal engagements | Prince Philip to step down from carrying out royal engagements |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Duke of Edinburgh is retiring from royal duties this autumn, Buckingham Palace has announced. | The Duke of Edinburgh is retiring from royal duties this autumn, Buckingham Palace has announced. |
| The decision was made by Prince Philip himself and is supported by the Queen, a palace spokesman said. | The decision was made by Prince Philip himself and is supported by the Queen, a palace spokesman said. |
| The duke, who turns 96 next month, will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August but will not accept new invitations. | |
| The Queen "will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements", the palace said. | |
| The duke carried out 110 days of engagements in 2016, making him the fifth busiest member of the royal family, according to Court Circular listings. | |
| He is patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and will continue to be associated with them, but "will no longer play an active role by attending engagements", Buckingham Palace said. | He is patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and will continue to be associated with them, but "will no longer play an active role by attending engagements", Buckingham Palace said. |
| In the statement, the spokesman said the duke "may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time". | |
| BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the duke "clearly feels he now wishes to curtail" his "familiar role" in support of the Queen. | |
| He added: "The Queen is going to continue, of that there is no doubt. She will continue, albeit with a somewhat lightened workload." | |
| The duke attended Lord's Cricket Ground to open a new stand on Wednesday and was heard joking at the event that he is the "world's most experienced plaque unveiler". | |
| He is famed for off-the-cuff remarks he has made at royal engagements around the world over the years. | |
| The duke and the Queen celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in November, while his birthday is on 10 June. | |
| On Thursday, he and the Queen are due at a service for members of the Order of Merit at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace before hosting a lunch for those attending. | |
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