Royal butler claims he knows the REAL reason Prince Philip is retiring
A ROYAL butler has shed light on the real reason why Prince Philip has decided to step down from public life.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who turns 96 next month, announced last week that he will retire from public engagements this autumn, joking: "Well, I can’t stand up much longer."
A long-standing servant told the it was the death of two of his closest pals which led to the Duke's decision.
He said when a nasty cold in December saw him pull out of public events over Christmas, his mind was made up.
The butler said: “That (the death of his friends) hurt him quite bad.
"He thought: ‘I’m 95, I need to slow down'.
“If you asked him two years ago he would not have retired at all.
“But because of his friends’ death and what happened at Christmas, he feels this is the right choice.”
One of the friends is believed to be Sir Brian McGrath, known as Prince Philip’s “gatekeeper”.
Sir Brian was a close friend of the Duke and the former head of his household who remained at Philip's side almost daily despite retiring in 1995.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the news at an unexpected meeting with all senior staff and aides.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: "His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh 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.
"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.
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"The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron, President or a member of over 780 organisations, 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 programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family."
The Duke of Edinburgh, who is thought to have been considering retirement for a few months, has carried out 22,191 solo engagements since 1952.
He attended 219 official engagements last year and 184 in the UK between 2015 and 16, as well as visiting Germany and Malta.
She said: "On behalf of the whole country, I want to offer our deepest gratitude and good wishes to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh."
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson added: "The Duke of Edinburgh has given the most extraordinary public service for over 60 years with dedication, energy and wit. Our nation thanks him."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "We thank Prince Philip for his service to the country and wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement."
Prince Philip's Royal engagements have often been marked with hilarious - and sometimes cringeworthy - gaffes.
He told a 13-year-old boy he was "too fat to be an astronaut", said he wished Elton John would "turn the microphone off" during a Royal Variety Performance and told a pensioner he looked "starved" on a visit to the Charterhouse almshouse for elderly men.
At 95, he scaled back his official duties but continued to provide colourful remarks as he met members of the public.
The Queen and Prince Philip have both relinquished royal duties in recent years.
Her Majesty stepped down as patron of more than 20 national organisations at the end of last year.
The Duke of Edinburgh broke formal ties with some of his patronages when he turned 90 in 2011.
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