Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, dies – Telam

Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, died on Friday at the age of 99, Buckingham Palace reported.

“It is with deep regret that Her Majesty The Queen announced the death of her beloved husband,” the British monarchy said, adding that the prince “passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle”.

“The royal family join people around the world in mourning their loss,” the statement added.

The Duke was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years and became the oldest husband in British history.

The flags of iconic UK buildings were lowered to half the staff when a period of mourning was announced, according to the UK press, as was the UK ‘Union Jack’ flag at Buckingham Palace, according to a notification officer placed on the metal fence of the Palace.

The date of the funeral has not been officially reported.

Prince Philip’s health had slowly deteriorated over the past two months when he was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London on February 17 and then transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery surgery for heart disease. last March.

Last January, the palace announced that the Duke and Queen had received their coronavirus vaccinations from a family doctor at Windsor Castle, where they had been in confinement with a small group of housekeepers.

In addition, they celebrated the last Christmas at their Berkshire residence, rather than having the traditional gathering of the royal family in the country house of Sandringham (in Norfolk, in the east of England).

At Windsor Castle, the couple quietly celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in November 2020 and the Prince’s 99th birthday.

The Duke has been in and out of the hospital several times over the past few years, but in general he was still in good health.

He quit smoking the day he married the Queen, he was never a heavy drinker and for decades he was a great athlete, local media recall.

I have led a life of very intense real public engagements that I did not leave until May 2017. Since 1952, he had completed more than 22,000 engagements.

The last time he was seen in public he appeared to be in good health, he was standing without assistance and the day he entered the hospital where he arrived by car he went out on his own and entered the hospital. inside.

British monarch’s husband dies one year before the 70th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II, for which the UK has four consecutive public holidays in 2022 to celebrate the sovereign’s reign.