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Buckingham Palace Meeting Provokes Frenzy of Speculation Prince Philip to Step Away From Public Duties
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — Members of the royal staff were summoned to a meeting in London on Thursday, but there is no cause for alarm at Buckingham Palace about the health of Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, Prince Philip, according to a palace official. LONDON — Prince Philip, the 95-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, will stop carrying out public engagements this autumn, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, although the role of the queen will be unchanged.
The announcement, also reported by several news agencies, came after fevered, if unfounded, speculation that a prominent member of the royal family had died, a possibility that had sent more than a dozen television news crews to the palace in the early morning. The announcement came after members of the royal staff were summoned to a meeting on Thursday in London, a development that touched off alarms about the health of the queen and her husband and prompted a dozen television news crews to head to Buckingham Palace in the early morning.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, in exchange for providing information about the nature of the meeting. The health of the queen and of Prince Philip has been a source of increasing concern. The prince was ill during the holiday period, while the queen, who is 91, was not seen in public for nearly a month after missing church services on Christmas and New Year’s Day because of what Buckingham Palace described as a persistent cold.
Reporters from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United States began massing outside the palace early in the morning watching for any sign that something was amiss. When a group of horses trotted in front of the palace, a scrum of photographers furiously clicked their cameras. It was a false alarm.
The speculation was touched off by a report in The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, that all members of the queen’s staff had been ordered to a meeting in London, and that employees from royal residences across the country would be in attendance.
The Daily Mail described the meeting as “highly unusual,” and Buckingham Palace’s silence on the matter early in the morning allowed speculation to flourish. The palace official said such gatherings happen every now and then.
The health of the queen and of Prince Philip has been a source of increasing concern. The queen, who is 91, was not seen in public for nearly a month after missing church services on Christmas and New Year’s Day because of what Buckingham Palace described as a persistent cold. Prince Philip, 95, was also ill during the holiday period.
But both performed duties on Wednesday: The queen met Prime Minister Theresa May, and the prince cut a ribbon to open a new stand of seats at a cricket ground.But both performed duties on Wednesday: The queen met Prime Minister Theresa May, and the prince cut a ribbon to open a new stand of seats at a cricket ground.
As of 8:45 a.m., the flag that indicates that the queen is in residence was flying at full staff above Buckingham Palace. “His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year,” the palace said in a statement. “In taking this decision, The Duke has the full support of The Queen.”
Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements until August, the palace said, but he will then retreat from public view, although he may occasionally attend public events.
“Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family,” the palace said.
Journalists from around the world began massing outside Buckingham Palace early in the morning watching for any sign that something was amiss. When a group of horses trotted in front of the palace, a scrum of photographers furiously clicked their cameras. It was a false alarm.
The speculation was touched off by a report in The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, that all members of the queen’s staff had been ordered to a meeting in London, and that employees from royal residences across the country would be in attendance.
The Daily Mail described the meeting as “highly unusual,” and Buckingham Palace’s silence on the matter early in the morning allowed speculation to flourish. A palace official, speaking on condition of anonymity in exchange for providing information about the meeting, said such gatherings happen every now and then.