Prince Philip retired from his royal duties as the Duke of Edinburgh in 2017 at the age of 96. Today, he is turning 99 in June, and currently staying at Windsor Castle.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Prince Consort reportedly joined his wife, Queen Elizabeth II in Berkshire to self-isolate last week. But, before the crisis has happened, he has been staying in Sandringham Estate on his own.
For many decades, Prince Philip is known for his "sharp tongue" and commitment to the Crown. This is why it became a surprise to everyone when previous reports claimed that he "avoided" meeting the United States President, Donald Trump during his State Visit in the United Kingdom.
According to The Independent UK, royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams shared that the Duke of Edinburgh has the "dignified option" to step back from any royal engagements after he announced his plans to retire in early 2017. During this time, it was expected that the US President will visit the UK sometime later that year.
Although he had this kind of option, the royal commentator believed that Prince Philip will somehow remain "active" alongside the Queen. He shared that the Duke will likely continue to become a "prominent figure" before the public.
However, after his final engagement in August 2017, he officially stepped back and moved to Norfolk. At the same time, Donald Trump, reportedly, cancelled his visit to the United Kingdom given that the public was said to have issues toward the American politician.
As per Express UK, while Trump was not able to proceed with his planned engagement in the same year, he instead continued the visit the following year. The US President even went back twice to the United Kingdom in 2019.
Unfortunately, Prince Philip was already retired then and was no longer participating in any engagement. So, amid all the speculations if he truly avoided meeting with Donald Trump, this has remained to be an unconfirmed theory.
The same publication noted, though, that there are some members of the British Royal Family who are not "fans" of the American President. As revealed, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the most well-known royals who spoke against the politician in recent years.
As for Kate Middleton, she was, reportedly, called out by Donald Trump on social media after "topless photos" made the headlines. No word was heard from the Duchess, however, despite the prominence of Trump's post.
