Prince Philip’s 90th Birthday Celebrations

To celebrate the Duke’s 90th birthday in June there were various events leading up to and surrounding the special occasion. Prince Philip, a man known for his reserved attitude, gave two unprecedented interviews to english gardener Alan Titchmarsh and broadcaster Fiona Bruce. In the Prince Philip at 90 documentary, Princess Anne described her father as caring man who always made the effort to be there at bedtime.

The day before his birthday, The Duke of Edinburgh took the Salute at the Household Division Beating Retreat outside the Guards Museum.

A 62-gun salute marked Prince Philip turning 90 and despite the occasion, the Duke treated his 90th birthday as a normal working day, hosting a reception at Buckingham Palace for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, of which he is patron, to mark its centenary. In the evening, he chaired the Senior Colonels’ Conference ahead of Saturday’s Trooping the Colour ceremony and afterwards held a dinner.

The weekend saw Prince Philip at Trooping the Colour and celebrating with a Service of Thanksgiving at Windsor Castle with his close and extended family.

To round off a weekend of events Philip was treated to a family dinner at the michelin star restaurant The Waterside Inn. The dinner was reminiscent of the 70th birthday party thrown for the Queen by her children at the same restaurant. A generation on, and it was the grandchildren picking up the bill. Grandchildren Zara, Peter, Eugenie, Beatrice and William were joined by Catherine and Autumn to intimately end the celebration weekend. The party chose from a menu which included grilled rabbit fillets, pan-fried medallion of farmed veal with carrots and a crispy calf’s head fritter, and roasted Challandais duck. Prince Philip left clutching another birthday present, a copy of French owner Michel Roux’s Savoury And Sweet Sauces cookbook, given to him by restaurant staff. The party left clutching blue and white favour boxes, rumoured to contain birthday cake.

A belated lunch was held at 10 Downing Street by PM David Cameron and his wife Samantha yesterday. Her Majesty and Prince Philip last visited Number 10 in April 2002 when Tony Blair and wife Cherie asked them to dinner. The four posed for pictures on the front steps, and Samantha Cameron had a little trouble getting the Duke to stand between her and The Queen. In the end His Royal Highness opted to stand right of Samantha and a bemused PM and his wife simply smiled for the cameras.

The four then made their way to the White Room to celebrate the Duke’s recent birthday with Stilton and watercress tart, followed by Inverurie beef from Aberdeenshire and rounded off with peaches, nectarines and ice cream. A lovely lunch to start off the summer.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Birthday, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Interview, Patronage, Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom, The Duke of Edinburgh.

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