Prince Philip steps out of retirement to make rare public appearance

Prince Philip made a brief comeback from retirement as he took part in a rare official public engagement.

The Duke transferred his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to the Duchess of Cornwall, but the 99-year-old, who has been keeping a low profile since his retirement in 2017, made sure to stick to social distancing measures.

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Today, The Duke of Edinburgh has been succeeded as Colonel-in-Chief of @rifles_regiment by The Duchess of Cornwall, in a ceremony which took place at both Windsor Castle and Highgrove House. . The Duke has been Colonel-in-Chief of successive Regiments that have made up The Rifles since 1953, and today, they are the largest infantry Regiment in the British Army. . The Duke of Edinburgh’s arrival was marked by four Buglers, who are members of The Rifles’ military band. . The Duke was thanked for his 67 years of service and support to the Regiment, before the Buglers sounded the ‘No More Parades’ call, marking HRH’s final ceremony as The Rifles’ Colonel-in-Chief. . At Highgrove House, The Duchess of Cornwall was greeted by a Bugle call, and was welcomed by the Regiment’s Colonel Commandant as The Rifles’ new Colonel-in-Chief. . The Duchess has close links with the Regiment, and has served as Royal Colonel of its fourth Battalion since 2007.

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Jul 22, 2020 at 7:22am PDT

Philip was at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, while the Duchess was at her home in Gloucestershire.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s arrival was marked by four Buglers, who are members of The Rifles’ military band. pic.twitter.com/gbybzsqzp8

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 22, 2020

Camilla had previously been the royal colonel of the 4th Battalion The Rifles, a post she had held since 2007.