Now that Prince Philip has finally seen to his last public engagement as Britain's longest serving consort, the 96-year-old ends 7 decades of life in the public eye.
After announcing his retirement in May, he completed 22,219 solo engagements since the early 1950's.
It rained heavily on his final engagement, but that didn't dampen his spirits.
The royal, who is also Captain General of the Royal Marines, dressed in a coat and bowler hat, and chose the forecourt of Buckingham Palace and a Royal Marines military parade as his final solo act to see him into retirement.
"It makes the Corps exceptional, it builds our Commando spirit and he's a wonderful figurehead for all Royal Marines to look up to," said Lt. Col. Gary Green of having the duke as the head of the Corps.
The Royal Navy man who served in the second World War, married Princess Elizabeth in 1947 after renouncing his Greek royal title to become a naturalized British citizen.
While this year they celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary, their lives together haven't always been easy.
Philip still may accompany the Queen at times during his retirement, but the particulars are still unknown.
He has also been among the most active of the royals, with 52 days carrying out public engagements this year alone. That's more than the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at 49, 45, and 39 days respectively. His calendar wasn't the most busy of the family, however. His daughter, the Princess Royal, clocked up 111 days so far, and his eldest son, Charles, has 89 days.
His decision to step down from public engagement was not related to his health, but he has had a number for health scares recently, which caused him to miss the Queen's speech a few month's ago.
"I'm sure that he won't disappear; he will be greatly missed by everybody. He's been such a stable character in all our lives "“ he's always there and he's always been there for the Queen and I think we're very, very lucky to have him," said Lady Myra Butter who has known Philip since childhood.
The aging royal is 96-years-old, and while he may not have the title of King, what would happen were he to pass away?
Continue to the next page to find out.
As morbid as it is to think about, after many health scares people have asked what would happen if Prince Philip were to die.
So we broke it down for you:
1. How We'll Find Out
It's expected that when the time comes that Prince Philip passes away, the news will likely be broken on BBC. If it happens overnight, it will be reported at 8 AM local time.
2. 'No-fuss' Funeral
While the Queen's consort is entitled to a full state funeral, Prince Philip has insisted that he doesn't want the 'fuss' of lying in state at Westminster Hall.
"The process for deciding when a state funeral should be held for a person other than the Sovereign is relatively unclear, not least since it happens so rarely and at long historical intervals," a 2013 Parliamentary document states.
"There is no official process set out in public," it adds.
It is believed that his body would lie at St. Jame's Palace instead, where Princess Diana lay for several days before her funeral in 1997.
It would be unlikely that the public would be observing the body.
The funeral itself would likely be a low-key affair at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Only Prince Philip's family, friends and heads of state from Commonwealth countries would be in attendance.
3. Burial
The Duke of Edinburgh would likely be buried in Frogmore Gardens, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Most of Britain's monarchs are buried in Westminster Abbey and St. George's Chapel, but both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are in a mausoleum in Frogmore Gardens.
Queen Victoria chose to buried there alongside her husband, who died 40 years before her.
4. Period of Mourning
After Prince Philip has died, if the Queen survives him, she will be expected to enter into an official period of mourning, which is believed to last 8 days.
During this time, laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will be put on pause out of respect for the family.
5. Return to Public Duties
The Queen's mourning period is expected to continue for 30 days, which after, it is believed that she will make a full return to public duties.
People believe it is unlikely that she will follow in the steps of Queen Victoria, who lived in isolation in Balmoral Castle for the 4 decades following her husband's death.
While concerns over the Queen's and Prince Philip's health continues, both appear to be healthy, hosting guests and making appearances at events.
When the Queen does die, it will have a major impact on British citizens, bringing much of the UK to a halt.
She is expected to have one of the most grand state funerals in modern British history.
Source: The Guardian / Independent
