Britain's Prince Philip to retire this week

The prince is the longest-serving consort in British history

LONDON: Prince Philip, the 96-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, will retire this week, conducting the last of more than 22,200 solo public engagements, the palace said Monday.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who served as a naval officer during World War II, will attend a parade of Royal Marines at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. He is captain general of the commando force.



"This concludes the duke's individual programme of public engagements. But he may choose to attend engagements alongside the queen from time to time," a spokeswoman told AFP.

The prince, the longest-serving consort in British history, announced in May that he would retire from public duties later this year. He will have conducted 22,219 solo engagements since his wife became queen with the death of her father in 1952, made 637 solo overseas visits and will have given 5,496 speeches.

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Philip is still in good health for a man of his age, although he was hospitalised for two nights in June for the treatment of an undisclosed infection. He and the 91-year-old queen have taken a step back from royal duties in recent years, leaving their eldest son and heir Prince Charles and grandson Prince William to take their places.

William, the Duke of Cambridge, ended his brief career as an air ambulance pilot last week and will now turn his full attention to royal duties, alongside his wife Kate.