Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 99

Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II who she has described as her “strength and stay all these years, died on Friday, the Buckingham Palace confirmed. Philip’s health has been deteriorating over the years, with the Duke of Edinburgh recently hospitalised and undergoing a successful surgery for a pre-existing heart condition. 

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” it said in a statement.

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The statement said that the Prince “passed away peacefully” at the Windsor Castle this morning, adding that further announcements will be made later. 

“The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss,” it read. 

Philip met the Queen in 1939 and the two were married in London’s Westminster Abbey in 1947.

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The couple, who celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary at the Windsor Palace in November, have four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. 

Philip and the Queen were administered their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in June. 

The Duke of Edinbrugh retired from public duty in 2017, when he jokingly said he could no longer stand up. 

The Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom, was lowered to half-mast at the Buckingham Palace and other landmark buildings across the nation as a tribute to the former navy commander. 

Philip’s death comes just months ahead of his 100th birthday in June.