FILE - In this Wednesday, May 3, 2017 file photo Britain's Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, smiles during his visit to Lord's Cricket Ground to open the new Warner Stand, in London. Buckingham Palace... (Associated Press) 
 
 LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, will stop carrying out public engagements this fall, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday. 
 
 The palace said in a statement that Philip, who is 95, has the full support of the queen in his decision. He will continue heading numerous charitable organizations but will not play an active role attending engagements. 
 
 In the past Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has suffered heart problems but has maintained a vigorous public schedule. The palace did not offer any new details about his health. 
 
 Earlier in the day, a report by Britain's Daily Mail of an unusual meeting of royal household staff sparked a worldwide wave of speculation about the health of the queen and Philip, including incorrect reports that the flag atop Buckingham Palace had been lowered to half staff. 
 
 The two appeared to be in good health Wednesday. The queen met with Prime Minister Theresa May at the palace and Philip made an appearance at a London cricket club. ||||| LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Philip, the 95-year-old husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, joked on Thursday about no longer being able to “stand up much” as Buckingham Palace announced he would retire later this year from active public life. 
 
 Philip, who is also known as the Duke of Edinburgh and has sometimes drawn attention with headline-grabbing gaffes, has been by the queen’s side throughout her 65 years on the throne and she has described him as “my strength and stay”. 
 
 “Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen,” the palace said in a statement. 
 
 “Thereafter, The Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time.” 
 
 The queen, the world’s longest-reigning living monarch who celebrated her 91st birthday in April, will continue to carry out a full program of official engagements, the statement added. Polls show Elizabeth, who ascended to the throne in 1952, remains hugely popular among Britons. 
 
 At an engagement at St James’s Palace in central London with his wife on Thursday, a guest told Philip he was sorry to hear he was standing down. 
 
 “I can’t stand up much,” quipped the prince, whose off-the-cuff remarks have sometimes landed him in hot water. 
 
 The announcement of Philip’s retirement was made following a meeting of all senior royal staff at Buckingham Palace, news of which prompted media speculation about the health of the royals. 
 
 However a well-placed source said there was no cause for concern about the health of the queen or Philip, who turns 96 next month. The couple, who married at Westminster Abbey in 1947, are due to celebrate their platinum, or 70th, wedding anniversary in November. 
 
 They have both been cutting their workload in recent years, passing on many responsibilities to son and heir Prince Charles, and grandsons, Princes William and Harry. 
 
 Philip conducted 184 official appearances in the year to March 2016 and has racked up a total 22,191 solo engagements since 1952, official figures show. 
 
 Prime Minister Theresa May offered the country’s “deepest gratitude and good wishes” to Philip on his retirement. 
 
 GAFFES 
 
 Outspoken, irascible and intensely private, Philip, a Greek-born former naval officer, developed a reputation for brusque comments and occasional gaffes at some of the thousands of ceremonial events he has attended. 
 
 Britain's Prince Philip leaves Buckingham Palace in London, May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall 
 
 A stray remark about “slitty eyes” during a visit to China in the 1980s became symbolic of his gruff and often unguarded manner. Even into his 90s, his off-the-cuff remarks could still get him into trouble, such as when he exasperatedly swore at a photographer at an event in 2015. 
 
 However, the queen and other royals say he has been a crucial figure during her long reign. 
 
 “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Elizabeth said in a very rare personal tribute to Philip during a speech to mark their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. 
 
 Despite being at the forefront of the royal family for almost 70 years and also patron, president or a member of more than 780 organizations, he has no clear-cut constitutional role and has admitted struggling to carve out a role for himself as the queen’s consort. 
 
 “There was no precedent. If I asked somebody ‘what do you expect me to do?’ they all looked blank - they had no idea, nobody had much idea,” he told the BBC in an interview to mark his 90th birthday. 
 
 Both the queen and Philip have suffered some health issues in recent years. The queen missed a traditional Christmas church service last year for the first time in decades due to a heavy cold and was hospitalized in March 2013 with symptoms of gastroenteritis. 
 
 Philip underwent “an exploratory operation following abdominal investigations” in 2013. 
 
 He was also hospitalized for a bladder infection during the queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations the year before, and spent Christmas 2011 in hospital where he underwent an operation to clear a blocked heart artery after suffering chest pains. 
 
 Slideshow (32 Images) 
 
 Such setbacks did not deter Philip from his royal duties. He even drove former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife around the grounds of the royals’ Windsor Castle residence during a visit last year. 
 
 “I have to say I have never been driven by a Duke of Edinburgh before, but I can report it was very smooth riding,” Obama said. ||||| Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall lead other members of the Royal family as they arrive to attend a Christmas day church service in Sandringham, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall lead other members of the Royal family as they arrive to attend a Christmas day church service in Sandringham, England, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016. A heavy cold is keeping Queen Elizabeth II from attending the traditional Christmas morning church... (Associated Press) 
 
 SANDRINGHAM, England (AP) — A heavy cold is keeping Queen Elizabeth II from attending the traditional Christmas morning church service near her Sandringham estate in rural Norfolk, England. 
 
 It is extremely rare for Elizabeth to miss the service, which is a cornerstone of the royal family's Christmas celebrations and brings the monarch into contact with local residents who gather outside for a glimpse of her. 
 
 "The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery," Buckingham Palace said. "Her Majesty will participate in the royal family Christmas celebrations during the day." 
 
 Those festivities usually include a gala lunch. In past years, the royal family would often go for extended walks in the countryside. 
 
 Elizabeth has been in generally good health and has maintained an active schedule in the last year despite traveling less often than in the past. 
 
 Her husband, 95-year-old Prince Philip, has also cut back his public schedule and his charitable works. He was also suffering from a heavy cold earlier in the week, the palace said. 
 
 The flu season has hit many Britons hard in the last two weeks and colds and flus are spreading. A cold can be dangerous for people in their 90s, doctors warn. 
 
 Earlier this week, the royal couple delayed their departure from London to Sandringham because of their colds but traveled one day later than expected, using a helicopter instead of a train. 
 
 The royal family received some sad news Saturday, when it was revealed that the queen's granddaughter, Zara Tindall, had suffered a miscarriage while expecting her second child with husband Mike Tindall. 
 
 The queen plans to use her pre-recorded Christmas Day message to praise British Olympic and Paralympic athletes and others who inspired her. 
 
 The message will be televised throughout Britain and much of the Commonwealth on Sunday afternoon. 
 
 Remarks released by Buckingham Palace indicate she will say she often draws strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things. 
 
 Elizabeth and Philip will be joined in Sandringham by other senior royals. Prince William and his wife Kate, along with their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are celebrating Christmas with Kate's parents.
– Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, will stop carrying out public engagements this fall, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday. The palace said in a statement that Philip, who's 95, has the full support of the queen in his decision. He will continue heading numerous charitable organizations but will not play an active role attending engagements, the AP reports. In the past, Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has suffered heart problems but has maintained a vigorous public schedule. The palace did not offer any new details about his health. Earlier Thursday, there was frenzied speculation among palace-watchers as royal staff from across the UK were summoned to a meeting. (Prince Philip was all smiles hours before the announcement was made.)