The intense life of Philip of Edinburgh, who resists being a retiree
Elizabeth II's husband, who suffered a traffic accident on Thursday, maintains an activity inappropriate for a 97-year-old man despite medical recommendations
Felipe de Edimburgo lives his most placid days, at least in appearance. After seven decades in the service of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II's husband has been retired for a year and a half. A retreat that does not necessarily mean a calm and leisurely life, but simply away from the focus and, perhaps, even more active. Although 97½ years old, even getting out of bed would be considered an active life.
That incessant energy has played a trick on him. On Thursday, January 17, while driving his Range Rover SUV in the outskirts of Sandringham - the estate in eastern England where the British royal family spends Christmas and where Elizabeth II resides at the beginning of the year, in this case until On February 6, when he will turn 67 on the throne, he suffered a car accident from which he was unharmed, according to witnesses, "almost miraculously", since he had to force a glass to escape the vehicle.
Prince Felipe's car made several turns and ended up overturned on its side when it collided with a smaller one, in which two women who suffered cuts and were treated in the hospital, and a nine-month-old baby were traveling. The duke was treated by a doctor already in Sandringham, although the doctor finally decided on Friday that he go to the local hospital to have serious damage ruled out, as it happened. The accident took place around three in the afternoon, British time, which is why it is handled that the cause of the accident was poor visibility as the sun was blinded.
"He was very brave," witnesses told media such as The Telegraph. The duke was trapped in the SUV, and some passersby helped him out. "It was not at all unpleasant. Obviously he was shocked and as soon as he left he went to ask everyone if they were okay," say witnesses, who say that the prince suffered some injuries, since there was "a little blood." The authorities will investigate the accident - they did breathalyzer tests on both drivers, which came back negative - and are studying lowering the speed limits in the area.
Felipe is fond of driving. He has been doing it since his youth, and he still has a permit, which in the UK must be renewed every three years. An activity that his family does not like at all: in 2014, in a meeting with war veterans, Prince Charles already spoke about what it meant for his father to continue driving. "I'm always worried," he confessed. Then the duke was going to be 93. Now he is approaching 98.
The born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark has never been a quiet man. She served in the army from a young age, and after becoming a consort of Elizabeth II (they married in November 1947; she ascended the throne in February 1952) she has attended more than 22,000 official engagements, 637 trips abroad and has made almost 5,500 speeches. He is a polo fan, horses - although not as much as his wife, who is truly passionate - boats and cars, hobbies that, despite hardly being seen after retirement, can be seen in his few photos and appearances.
The last official act of the longest-serving consort of the British monarchy took place on 2 August 2017, a military ceremony in which he reviewed the Royal Navy at Buckingham Palace. Since then, however, it has not disappeared. He himself knows that his job and his life are ultimately one and the same. "My first, my second and my final job is to always be with the queen." stated a few years ago.
That is why he is still seen with her and with his family. Just a month after retiring he was seen alongside her at a competition and a bridge unveiling in Scotland. Then they have walked and enjoyed polo competitions in Windsor, attended Christmas Masses in Sandringham, attended festivals and commemorations in London. She has also been photographed driving in several of those places. But above all he has been seen at weddings, those of his grandchildren: that of Prince Harry with Meghan Markle, in May; and Eugenia de York with Jack Brooksbank.
Some acts where their simple presence usually attracts attention: almost 100 years old, although more hunched over, with a tired gesture and wearing their hearing aids, they still reach them walking on their own feet, without the need for helpers or canes. An eternal poor health of iron that has taken him to the hospital on different occasions, in recent years for a bladder infection and another for a gallbladder (in 2012), for an abdominal operation (in 2013), for another infection (in 2017 ) and for a hip operation last April.
Neither his health nor his retirement has managed to stop his caustic sense of humor, which has been raising blisters in the United Kingdom for decades for always bordering on bad taste and conflict. His constant gaffes have made the left consider him rude and the right simply a free spirit without restraint. Months after his retirement, he saw a man with a bushy beard on a walk and asked his bodyguards, "Is that a terrorist?" Rest and silence are clearly not for him.
