Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended his last solo public engagement this week — a parade to mark the finale of the 1664 Global Challenge at Buckingham Palace.
The event, which saw 1,500 royal marines and army commandos run a total of 1,664 miles over 100 days, is something close to Prince Philip, who has been associated with the Royal Marines for 64 years.
Buckingham Palace noted Prince Philip has attended 22,219 solo engagements since 1952 and, although his own program has come to an end, he may still choose to attend certain events alongside the queen.
An official announcement was made earlier this year that the Duke of Edinburgh would retire from his duties and the queen declared her full support of this decision.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace noted Prince Philip would not accept new invitations for public engagements as of August, although he may still choose to attend certain events occasionally.
The 91-year-old queen will continue to carry out all her official engagements.
The Duke of Edinburgh was hospitalized in June when complications associated with a pre-existing infection arose.
Earlier this year USA Today noted that, over recent years, the 96-year-old had been admitted in and out of hospital on several occasions to receive treatment for a heart condition.
Although retired, Prince Philip will continue to be associated with over 780 organizations that he is involved in.
Buckingham Palace noted he is involved in various charities and has a special interest in scientific and technological research as well as in the conservation of the environment and the encouragement of sport.
In 2009, the Duke of Edinburgh became the longest serving British consort.