Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has died 'peacefully' at 99

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of England, has passed away at the age of 99.

Prince Philip took his last breath in the morning of Friday, April 9, at Windsor Castle where he has been staying with his wife. Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the monarch couple announced the news through its social media accounts on Friday afternoon.

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle," the palace captioned a picture of the late British royal in his military uniform.

"Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss," another tweet read. The same message was shared on the website of the royal family on a black background, with a note that the site is temporarily available while appropriate changes are being made.

The unfortunate news comes just two months prior to what would have been the Duke's milestone 100th birthday. Preparations were already underway at the palace for the celebrations on June 10.

Concerns about the duke's health had increased in February this year, after he was admitted to King Edward VII's hospital in what was said at the time was a "precautionary measure." He was later moved to St. Bartholomew's Hospital with the palace announcing that he is receiving treatment for an unknown infection and a heart condition. The Duke returned home to Windsor Castle on March 16 after 28 days, his longest hospital stay ever.

Prince Philip and the Queen had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary last year, and the late royal was often called the monarch's "pillar of strength." It is said that the time they got to spend together since the coronavirus lockdown last year has been the most amount of time they spent together in all these decades.