Prince Philip Retires From Duties After Emergency Meeting At Buckingham Palace

Hours after reports of an emergency meeting at Buckingham Palace circulated, RadarOnline.com has learned that Prince Philip will be retiring from his royal duties.

According to a statement made by Queen Elizabeth II's private secretary Thursday morning, Prince Philip "has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, The Duke has the full support of The Queen."

The 95-year-old "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," the statement continued.

"The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron, President or a member of over 780 organizations, with which he will continue to be associated, although he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements. Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full program of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family," it concluded.

According to BBC's Peter Hunt, the staff meeting was held at Buckingham Palace at 10 a.m. local time.

Philip will turns 96 in June and celebrate his 70th wedding anniversary with Elizabeth in November. In 2016, he "carried out 110 days of engagements," E! News reports.

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