Prince Philip has returned from his royal pension for a few hours – his first major appearance in more than a year.
At an official ceremony at Windsor Castle, Prince Philip (99) took on his role as "Colonel-in-Chief" of the "Rifles" on Wednesday to his daughter-in-law Camilla (73), Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Prince Charles (71), ceded. The British "Daily Mail" reports among other things. Camilla also participated in a ceremony, however, due to the corona pandemic in distant Gloucestershire. Pictures from the appointment clearly show Philip in a good mood.
Last big event in May 2019
Prince Philip had actually already given up on his duties in summer 2017 and retired due to his old age. Since then, the prince consort of Queen Elizabeth II (94) has hardly been seen on official dates – most recently, at least in a picture of the wedding of Princess Beatrice (31) and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (37), that the palace released on July 18. According to media reports, only about 20 close friends and family members were on site due to the Corona crisis. The last big event that Philip had attended was the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor (39) in May 2019.
The "Rifles" is an infantry regiment of the British Army that has existed since 2007, whose honorary colonel was Prince Philip. During the ceremony, Assistant Colonel Commandant, Major General Tom Copinger-Symes, thanked Prince Philips, who had previously been honorary colonel of previous regiments, for the 67-year support. At Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, Duchess Camilla was greeted by Colonel Commandant, General Sir Patrick Sanders, as "Colonel-in-Chief".