Duke of Edinburgh will not ‘disappear’ when he steps down from duties

THE DUKE of Edinburgh will not be “disappearing into the background” despite his decision to step down from public duties, according to the Earl of Wessex.

Prince Philip, 95, will retire from royal engagements in the autumn after more than 65 years supporting the Queen in her role as head of state as well as attending events for his own charities.

Their youngest son, Edward, has hinted other members of the Royal Family will step up in support of the monarch.

He told Sky News that the family support each other “constantly” in what is a “team effort”, adding: “The show goes on.”

Edward is the first family member to speak about Philip’s retirement since it was announced.

“It was a surprise but not really a surprise,” he said. “I think that although he’s said that he’s probably going to step back, I don’t believe he’s going to stop for a minute, so there will still be lots of things that he’ll be interested in and doing.”

Asked if it had been a difficult decision, Edward said: “I’m sure it is. But at the end of the day you still have to do what’s sensible and practical, and as we all know from my father he’s extremely sensible and extremely practical.

“So he’s taken that decision and we respect that. But as I said, we’re not going to see him disappearing into the background.”

Asked to sum up his father’s contribution to national life, Edward said it has been “years of staggering service”.

He added: “The great thing about my father is that nobody’s ever forgotten meeting him.

“Wherever he’s been, wherever in the world, people remember him. You can’t really get a better accolade than that.”