After much speculation regarding news of an emergency meeting at Buckingham Palace organized by Queen Elizabeth II earlier this morning, Buckingham Palace has announced the Duke of Edinburgh will no longer be carrying out public engagements.

At the age of 95, the Queen's husband has revealed he will be stopping all public engagements from Autumn this year and will not be taking further invitations for royal appearances.

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The Palace said in a statement it was the Duke's decision, taken with the support of the Queen, who will continue to carry out her public obligations.

An official release was shared on Twitter.

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The news comes after rumours of the emergency meeting led many to raise concern regarding the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's health, a possible engagement announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the possibility of a royal abdication.

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Nick Witchell, the BBC's royal correspondent, revealed it was a 'surprise' that the royal family had decided to ask the senior staff from across the UK to attend the meeting, and also took the opportunity to point out the unreliability of listening to social media ahead of royal announcements.

'It underlines what an utterly unreliable source of information is social media,' he added.

Mitchell also added the Duke will remain a patron of his 780 organisations, but will take no active role in attending royal engagements.

He also revealed the Duke's retirement 'will mean the Prince of Wales will take on a more senior role as a the most senior male member of the Royal Family'.

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'With his father retiring from most public engagements, we imagine we'll see more of the Queen and Prince Charles accompanying her,' he added.

However, it is believed the Duke will be seen at the Trooping of the Colour, ahead of his 96th birthday in June, and be seen celebrating his 70th wedding anniversary with the Queen in November.

It's about time he enjoyed a well-deserved break.

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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.