The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Royal family go online to help Duke of Edinburgh celebrate 99th birthday
MILESTONE: Messages flood in on social media for Prince Philip
The royals congratulated the Duke of Edinburgh on his 99th birthday as he celebrated his milestone by spending the day with the Queen at Windsor Castle.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Kensington Royal social media account tweeted: “Wishing a very happy 99th Birthday to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh!”
The post included an image of William with his grandfather as they watched the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham in 2015, and one of Kate with Philip at the Patron’s Lunch celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall also wished the duke a “very happy 99th birthday”.
Their Clarence House account shared an image of a young Charles with his father in a motor boat at Cowes in 1957, and another of them together, smiling at one another, in Poundbury in 2016.
The royal family have all been staying apart in lockdown, and communicating via Zoom video calls, Facetime and by phone, as they were expected to do for Philip’s birthday.
Charles is 500 miles away from Philip and the Queen, at Birkhall in Scotland with Camilla.
The Queen and Philip’s other children, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, are all at their separate homes.
William and Kate are in Norfolk with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and oneyear-old Archie are thousands of miles away in Los Angeles.
The monarchy’s official Instagram account said Philip would be spending the day with the Queen.
He was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on the island of Corfu on June 10 1921, and has been married to the Queen for more than 70 years.