The Duke of Edinburgh will mark the milestone on June 10 and is set to become the first male member of the Royal Family to reach such a ripe old age. Sources at Buckingham Palace have said the topic of celebrations will be broached in the New Year but they are expecting a pushback from Philip, 99.
One source told The Telegraph: “Let’s just say we have a rather reluctant celebrant.
“You can’t do something if someone doesn’t want something doing.”
And a second source added: “It is something that will have to be raised in the New Year but we might get short shrift.
“The one person you can guarantee will not want anything to do with it, is the Duke.”
The monarch’s husband retired from royal duties in the summer of 2017.
Since then, he has enjoyed a life of solitude, spending the majority of his time at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
He has kept himself busy by painting, reading and writing.
But the coronavirus crisis meant he and the Queen were brought back together for months on end during lockdown.
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But whether royal aides can this year convince him to mark the occasion in a bigger way, Philip will be unable to escape one part of the celebration.
Just like every other UK citizen who receives a congratulatory telegram from the Queen as they turn 100, the Duke will be sent the message.
Citizens are entitled to receive the special honour on their 100th birthday, 105th birthday and every birthday thereafter.
If Philip agrees to a party, the celebrations may have to be significantly scaled back if the coronavirus crisis continues.
While he is known to be no fan of the limelight, Philip did appear in an official photo with the Queen to mark their 73rd wedding anniversary in November.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly planning on jetting back to the UK in June for the occasion.
Their son Archie, who turned one in May, has not seen his great-grandparents, the Queen and Philip, in more than a year.
But the Sussexes’ return to Britain may come even sooner if they decided to come back for their annual review of the Megzit deal.
This week reports suggested the couple would seek to extend their period of grace which would leave the door open for a possible return to the Firm for a further 12 months.
