Prince Philip to join daughter-in-law Duchess Camilla for rare public engagement

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be returning from his retirement to carry out a rare public engagement with his daughter-in-law Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Philip, who retired from public duties in August 2017, continues to be the Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles. The British royal has held the position since the formation of The Rifles in 2007, having previously served as Colonel-in-Chief of successive Regiments which now make up The Rifles since 1953. He will pass on the position to his daughter-in-law, Camilla, on Wednesday, reports Hello.

The 99-year-old will take part in a ceremony at the Windsor Castle in Berkshire, where he has been isolating with his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in March. The ceremony will then continue at Clarence House, the official residence of Duchess Camilla and Prince Charles. The 73-year-old duchess was appointed Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion of The Rifles in 2007.

In a statement confirming the engagement, Buckingham Palace said: "The ceremony will begin at Windsor Castle where four Buglers, of The Band and Bugles of The Rifles, will sound The Rifles Assembly call upon the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh. The Assistant Colonel Commandant, Major General Tom Copinger-Symes, will offer the salute and thank the Duke of Edinburgh for His Royal Highness' 67 years of support and service to The Rifles, and their forming and antecedent Regiments."

"The Buglers will then sound The Rifles Regimental Call, followed by the 'No More Parades' call, to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's final ceremony as Colonel-in-Chief. The ceremony will continue at Highgrove House, where the arrival of the Duchess of Cornwall will be marked by four Buglers of The Band and Bugles of The Rifles sounding The Rifles Assembly. Her Royal Highness will be addressed by The Rifles' Colonel Commandant, General Sir Patrick Sanders, who will welcome The Duchess as the new Colonel-in-Chief," the statement continued.

The ceremony will be concluded when the Buglers will sound The Rifles Regimental Call and The Advance, following which the British monarch will meet the Buglers at a small party from 4th Battalion The Rifles, before retiring for an audience with General Sir Patrick Sanders.

The Duke retired from royal duties at the age of 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements since he joined the British royal family in 1952. Following his retirement, the father-of-four has been splitting his time between the Berkshire residence and Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate.

He has been spotted in public only a handful of times since then, most of them being family weddings. He was in attendance at the nuptials of grandson Prince Harry with Meghan Markle and granddaughter Princess Eugenie with Jack Brooksbank in 2018.

He was also in attendance at his granddaughter Princess Beatrice's secret wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on Friday. Pictures of the royal posing with his wife and the newly-wed couple were released by Buckingham Palace after the private ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor on Friday. Another picture of Prince Philip and the queen was released last month when the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated his milestone 99th birthday on June 10.