Why Prince Philip Wasn't at Christmas Church Services with Queen Elizabeth this Morning
As members of the royal family made their annual Christmas walk up to St. Mary Magdalene's church in Sandringham, a few familiar faces appeared to be missing. The Duchess of Cornwall was notably absent. She is reportedly still recovering from the bad cold which took her out of commission earlier last week for an engagement and the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.
And as the Queen arrived via car, it became apparent that her husband, Prince Philip, would also be missing church services today.
While the Duke of Edinburgh is 97, and has had a few health setbacks this year (notably, he had a successful hip operation in April), his absence this morning shouldn't be cause for alarm.
Per the Mirror, a palace spokesperson said that the Philip is in good health and "spending the day 'privately.'"
Prince Philip has been retired from royal duties since August of last year, but he is regularly seen at family occasions like Harry and Eugenie's weddings, and he does attend public events from time to time.
The Duke now "operates on a 'wake up and see how I feel' basis," according to The Telegraph, so perhaps he simply wasn't feeling up for church this morning.
All that said, the Queen doesn't appear too shaken up about it. She was all smiles in photos this morning, and later today, Elizabeth II will pay tribute to her husband of 71 years, by wearing a brooch he gave her during her annual Christmas message.
According to Ella Kay over at the Court Jeweler, the Grima Ruby Brooch, which is sometimes called the Scarab brooch, is made of yellow gold, diamonds, and rubies, and was "given to the Queen by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1966."
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