The Duke of Edinburgh is due to become a centenarian on June 10, just a couple of days before the Queen celebrates her own official birthday. It has prompted speculation around what the Royal Family will have planned for the occasion.
However, a Buckingham Palace aide told the Daily Telegraph that Prince Philip would be a “reluctant celebrant” of the occasion.
They added: “He’s retired, he’s stepped back, he doesn’t want a fuss. You can’t blame him.”
Despite this, the insider claimed planning would begin “in earnest” this year for the potentially national event.
There is also the issue of the coronavirus pandemic, as it is not known what sort of restrictions the UK will be under at the time of the Duke of Edinburgh’s birthday.
A royal source told the Sunday Times earlier this month the Queen is keen to get “back to business” with annual celebrations in 2021, including birthdays.
They told the paper that the “current plan is for the Queen’s birthday parade to go ahead in London as normal”.
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The official event is usually marked by the Trooping the Colour parade, but last June it saw a small number of soldiers conduct a socially-distanced parade instead.
In any case, it is thought June could be a significant time for the Royal Family and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to make a return to the UK for the birthday celebrations if they can.
The timing is also relevant to Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, which are set to take place in The Hague on May 29.
Harry and Meghan currently reside in California having stepped down as senior royals last year, though they are reported to have kept in touch since then.
Royal expert Andrew Morton has claimed Prince Harry has been in contact with the Queen “more often than you would think,” according to .
