Prince Philip officially retired from his public Royal Family role in August 2017. But according to one royal author, the ex-Duke of Edinburgh wasn't necessarily happy about needing to step back from his career.
In her book My Mother and I, royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed that Prince Philip began to reflect on his life and career before he died. In fact, Queen Elizabeth's husband even spoke to some of his family members about his outlook on death.
"Harry had previously spoken to his grandfather about death and Philip had explained to him that although he was no longer capable of 'pursuing his passions,' the one thing he missed most was work," Seward shared.
As recounted by Seward, Philip told Harry, "Without work...everything crumbles."
By the time Prince Philip retired in 2017, he'd carried out a rather impressive 22,219 solo engagements on behalf of the Royal Family, per CNN. After a life of service, it's unsurprising that the duke found himself somewhat bereft in retirement.
Prince Philip died at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021, and he was fondly remembered in obituaries.
As Seward shared, "He was a man of many outstanding qualities: intelligent, dutiful, hardworking, and capable of making a success out of anything he turned his hand to."
The royal author continued, "In many ways, Philip was somewhat the opposite of his wife, being outspoken on various subjects because he wasn't bound by the rules of impartiality. He was always forthright in expressing himself, even on occasions when his own actions might have appeared contrary to his stated views."
Based upon his own words, it's clear that Prince Philip took his role as a senior member of the Royal Family very seriously indeed.
