Why Prince Philip Isn't at Trooping the Colour 2019 with the Royal Family

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published 8 June 2019

The royal family is very, very busy these days. Earlier this week, they wrapped up an awkward three-day state visit from President Donald Trump and his family. Before that, they welcomed little Archie Harrison Mountbatten to the fold. This week, preparations were being made for one of the biggest celebrations in the United Kingdom, Trooping the Colour.

The annual jubilee, which takes place on Saturday June 8, marks the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth. It's not technically her real birthday (Her Royal Highness was actually born in April), but the UK pulls out all of the stops to turn up in celebration of the Queen.

One familiar face is missing from this year's festivities: Prince Philip. After numerous years of joining in on the Trooping the Colour fun, the Duke of Edinburgh, a.k.a. the Queen's husband, is sitting this one out after also missing last year's parade. Fans of the royal family may be wondering why exactly he'd opt out of his wife's gigantic birthday party, but you don't have think too hard about this one—the reason is innocuous and totally scandal-free. Prince Philip isn't in attendance simply because he's retired.

On August 2, 2017, Prince Philip officially stepped back from his duties as a member of the royal family. His retirement came after years of working; the Duke has completed over 22,000 different solo appearances in his time. At the age of 97 (almost 98—his birthday is two days after Trooping the Colour!), Prince Philip is taking it easy these days, operating on a "wake up and see how I feel basis" and attending whichever event he pleases.

Some of his latest public appearances include cheering on his granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor as she competed Royal Windsor Horse Show as well as Princess Eugenie's October wedding to Jack Brooksbank last year. Now that his schedule is a lot more open, Prince Philip is prioritizing spending time with his family—he was one of the first royals to meet lil Archie after he was born, and the Duke is often spotted going on romantic horse rides around Windsor Castle with the Queen.

We're betting that Her Royal Highness isn't taking Prince Philip's absence from this year's revelry too personally. After all, when you're the Queen of England, every day is pretty much your birthday.

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Lagos-born and Houston-raised, Ineye Komonibo is a writer and editor with a love for all things culture. With an academic background in public relations and media theory, Ineye’s focus has always been on using her writing ability to foster discourse about the deep cyclical relationship between society and the media we engage with, ever-curious about who we are and what we do because of what we consume. Most recently, she put her cultural savvy to work as a culture critic for R29 Unbothered, covering everything from politics to social media thirst to the reverberations of colorism across the African diaspora.