Having ‘done his bit' Duke enjoyed active retirement

PRINCE Philip was able to spend much of the last years of his life enjoying the sanctuary of the Sandringham Estate.

- Sarah O’Grady

After a lifetime of public service, the Duke of Edinburgh retired in 2017.

He based himself at Wood Farm, a small home in the grounds of the royal residence in Norfolk.

In doing so, he avoided a running commentary about his health in old age.

He had predicted that pulling out of any engagements would lead to regularly exaggerated fears for his life.

Instead, he appeared on family occasions, such as the wedding of his granddaughter Princess Beatrice, and in a private capacity at Remembrance Day services.

In her Christmas message of 2017, the Queen affectionately referenced the retirement plan, telling the nation: “Even Prince Philip has decided it’s time to slow down a little – having, as he economically put it, ‘done his bit’.”

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