Prince Philip in pictures: A tribute to Duke of Edinburgh's cheerful royal engagements
PRINCE PHILIP, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died at the age of 99, the Palace has confirmed. Here is a look back at Prince Philip's most amusing engagements over the years.
Prince Philip: Flowers laid outside Buckingham Palace
Prince Philip, who has faithfully stood by the Queen's side since she took up the throne in 1952, has peacefully died in his Windsor Castle home. Buckingham Palace confirmed the sad news on Friday, April 9, with a brief statement. The Palace said: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course.
"The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."
Tributes have already poured in from across the world, with world leaders and members of the public alike sharing their condolences.
During his time as a working member of the Royal Family, the Duke was well-respected as one of its hardest-working members.
Prince Philip, who retired in 2017, is believed to have carried out more than 22,100 royal engagements.
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He gave out more than 5,000 speeches and was the patron or president of some 785 charities and organisations.
Remarkably, at 96, the Duke even put Duchess of Cambridge to shame when he carried out twice as many public appearances just five years ago.
His commitment to carrying out his duties remained unshakable over the years, marked by his signature charm and humour.
Just a few years ago, Philip dubbed himself the “world’s most experienced plaque unveiler” when opening a new £25million stand at Lord's cricket ground in London.
Sadly Buckingham Palace announced the Prince’s decision to retire in 2017, saying the Duke had the Queen’s full support.
At the time, the Palace said: "In taking this decision, the Duke has the full support of the Queen.
"Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying the Queen.
"Thereafter, the Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time.
"Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagement with the support of members of the Royal Family."
That same year, both Philip and the Queen tried their hand at zookeeping when they fed banana to a chirpy elephant at Whipsnade zoo.
And just 50 years earlier in 1967, the Duke was photographed with Kumara, a seven-month-old elephant, at the vert same zoo in Bedfordshire
It is unclear if the Duke was a fan of HBO’s Game of Thrones, but that did not stop him from meeting the cast and production staff of the hit fantasy epic in 2004.
Prince Philip was spotted alongside the Queen, checking out some of the props from the drama and eyed-up a spot on the Iron Throne itself.
In 2002 Prince Philip channelled his inner daredevil when cameras spotted him zipping around the grounds of Windsor Castle on a little ‘Easy Rider’ monkey-bike during the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
That same year, the Duke had a bit of a laugh at the Cartoon Art Trust's Kings and Queens exhibition at the Mall Galleries, where he looked at cartoons of the Queen drawn by cartoonist Trogg for the Golden Jubilee.
During the height of Beatlemania in the swinging sixties, Prince Philip did not shy away from the spotlight and hands the Beatles the Carl-Alan Award for the song 'She Loves You’ in 1964.
In 1961 Philip also donned his full military regalia when together with the Queen he met with Pope John XXIII in the Vatican City during their royal tour of Italy.
Just 20 years later Philip met the Pope once again, only this time it was Pope John Paul II in 1980.