Buckingham Palace plans 100th birthday for Philip
The Duke of Edinburgh is not interested
LONDON • He once said he “couldn't imagine anything worse” than living to 100.
But as Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, fast approaches the milestone, Buckingham Palace aides, well aware that it will be a moment of national celebration in the United Kingdom, find themselves in a quandary.
“Let's just say we have a rather reluctant celebrant,” one told The Daily Telegraph. “You can't do something if someone doesn't want something doing.”
Planning for the big day, June 10, will begin in earnest in the new year.
But Philip, who endured almost seven decades in the spotlight, has relished his retirement and has no desire to re-emerge, particularly for something as frivolous as a birthday.
One tradition that he cannot avoid however, and which is certain to raise a smile over the royal breakfast table, is the congratulatory telegram from the Queen, which he will receive just like any other British citizen turning 100.
Never one to want a fuss, Philip has spent most of the past three years in blissful solitude.
Until recently, he had lived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, spending his days reading, writing and painting.
In mid-march, with the onset of the pandemic, he joined the Queen at Windsor Castle, where they lunch or dine together most days.
Philip was last seen in public in July, when he formally handed over his role as Colonel in Chief of The Rifles to the Duchess of Cornwall, in a low- key ceremony at Windsor.
Before that, he was photographed leaving the King Edward VII Hospital in London on Christmas Eve 2019, after treatment for a “pre-existing condition.”
Other than this, Philip has kept out of the public eye, although the occasional portrait has been published, most recently to mark the royal couple's 73rd wedding anniversary.
When he turned 99, Philip was said to be “characteristically taciturn” about the occasion, choosing to mark it with a quiet lunch.
He did, however, agree to be pictured with his wife “just in case,” and the Palace duly released a rare new photograph of them standing side by side in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle.
Next year will be a different matter, however, and his reluctance for a public celebration is likely to be overruled.
Although the pandemic renders future events uncertain, aides are keenly aware that the occasion should be appropriately marked, even if plans have to be stripped back.
“It is something that will have to be raised in the new year,” one said.
“But we might get short shrift. The one person you can guarantee will not want anything to do with it is the Duke.
“He's retired; he's stepped back. He simply doesn't want the fuss. You can't blame him, really.”
If coronavirus restrictions allow, the extended Royal Family will certainly gather for a private celebration, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will most likely be hoping to fly over from their home in California to attend the occasion.
The date coincides with Prince Harry's Invictus Games, which are due to begin in The Hague on May 29.
Philip will become the first male member of the Royal family to turn 100 and the first royal consort to do so.
At 80, when discussing the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, Philip told The Telegraph he had “no desire whatsoever” to reach the same age.
“I can't imagine anything worse,” he said at the time. “Bits of me are falling off already.”
When the Queen Mother reached the milestone in August 2000, there was a procession down The Mall as well as a much-anticipated Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.
One event said to be in the pipeline for Philip is a photography exhibition, to be curated by the Royal Collection Trust for its annual summer opening of Buckingham Palace.
HE SIMPLY DOESN'T WANT THE FUSS. YOU CAN'T BLAME HIM, REALLY.