Prince Philip will no longer carry out public engagements from this autumn
Buckingham Palace says decision was the duke's, with the full support of the Queen
The duke will carry out previously scheduled appointments between now and August
He will turn 96 next month
Thanks for joining us today as Buckingham Palace announced the retirement of Prince Philip from his public duties.
We heard that the duke will attend already scheduled engagements between now and August but will not accept new invitations.
The Queen "will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements", the palace said.
Prince Philip is credited with helping to save engineering in Britain in the 1970s, having played a "vital" role in creating the Royal Academy of Engineering.
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Kendall Carter, Sheffield tells us:I met Prince Phillip when he opened the new stainless steel melting shop in Sheffield in 1977. He chatted with a group of people about the operation. One of our group said that he worked for his wife in previous years. He burst into laughter when the person told him it was on a HMS destroyer in the Royal Navy. Don't blame him for putting his feet up and having a well-deserved retirement. Top Man.
Jacqui Clarke comments:Congratulations to Prince Phillip for services he's done for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. Thank you. Enjoy your retirement, it is well deserved.
Beverley Heinze, Chorley writes:When working for the British Council in Berlin, I met the Queen and Prince Philip when they opened our new teaching centre in July 2000. The Prince was extremely charming and had researched an issue surrounding our freelance contracts and asked how they affected us.
Gail tells us:As with all of us of advancing years there comes a time when our body tells us it’s time to slow down.
Prince Phillip has served our country well, remaining at our monarch’s side through both the best of times and the worst of times.
Here’s hoping that he and his wife are able to spend many happy times together away from the public gaze in the coming years.
Vice-president of the British Driving Society on how he saw "a different side" to Prince Philip.
Prince Philip was a man 'who would talk to everybody, and give much encouragement'
The World at One
BBC Radio 4
Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster, has met Prince Philip on many occasions.
He told BBC Radio 4's The World at One about the Prince's strong interest in the restoration of Westminster Abbey and his commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme which he said, would "forever be a great memorial for him".
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Lib Dem leader Tim Farron pays tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Duke of Edinburgh's has traveled all over the globe during his lifetime of royal duties.
Here are some highlights in pictures:
Image source, Getty ImagesPrince Philip and the Queen took part in a state visit to Italy in 1961 which included a cruise along Venice's famous canals.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn 1966 the royal couple went to the Bahamas as part of a tour of the Caribbean.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn 2002 the Duke was reported to have startled Australian Aborigines by asking the owner of an Aboriginal cultural park: "Do you still throw spears at each other?" during a royal visit to Cairns, in Queensland.
Peter Hunt
Royal correspondent
Image source, PAThis is Prince Philip acting on his own advice, nearly six years later.
When he turned 90 he told the BBC it was "better to get out before you reach your sell-by date".
From the autumn, he will follow a path into retirement which is trod by many non-royals once they are in their sixties.
Today's announcement is a significant moment in the recent history of the British Royal Family.
A prince of Greece - with Danish, German and Russian blood - he has served the ancient institution, very publicly, for seven decades.
As an outsider - who was viewed with suspicion by the aristocracy - he struggled at first.
To his critics, he is a gaffe-prone prince.
His many supporters argue that this nonagenarian senior royal has played a crucial role sustaining the monarchy.
It's little wonder then, that the Queen once called him her strength and stay.
One of the duke's great passions has been for carriage driving, which he continued to do competitively into his 80s.
John Parker, the Duke of Edinburgh's former carriage driver and vice-president of the British Driving Society, told the BBC News channel he was a "very, very good" driver, who had made a huge contribution to the sport in the UK.
He said: "He was very, very, good, very accurate and very brave. He was hard to beat. It meant everything to drive him, everything."
Prince Philip is patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and one of his most successful associations has been with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
It has become one of the best-known youth self-improvement schemes, with young people across the globe gaining their bronze, silver and gold awards.
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Prince Philip and the Queen arrive for service at St James's Palace
Here are the Queen and Prince Philip arriving at a service for members of the Order of Merit at St James's Palace a bit earlier.
Afterwards, the duke seemed on jovial form, sharing smiles and jokes with those present, including television presenter Sir David Attenborough - another high-profile public figure who has continued to work into his 90s.
Outside the palace well-wishers waited to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
Emma Sandvick, 31, from Brisbane in Australia, said: "He deserves to retire from royal duties, he has served his county well. He definitely deserves a break."
Alan Doyle, 47, a guide with London Tailored Tours, added: "He has supported the Queen, he's been her rock."
And Mary Ellen Doyle, a retired hospital administrator from Charleston, South Carolina, said: "I wish him a good number of years as his life continues."
The World at One
BBC Radio 4
President of the Burma Star Association Lord Slim has described Prince Philip as "having the admiration and affection of all our members".
Lord Slim, who is son of field Marshal Bill Slim, leader of the WW2 Burma campaign, says the Prince has been an "outstanding patron" for more than 30 years.
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Image source, PAA few things you might not know about Prince Philip:
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Image source, Getty ImagesThe Greek-born prince's life of service to the UK began when he joined up with the Royal Navy in 1939.
He saw active service in World War Two, from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, being mentioned in despatches for his service on battleship HMS Valiant in 1941.
By that time he had met his distant cousin, Princess Elizabeth. Their friendship blossomed into love and they married in 1947, at which point he renounced his Greek title to become a naturalised British subject, and was made Duke of Edinburgh by King George VI.
Prince Philip's naval career, which saw the newly-married couple stationed in Malta, ended when George VI died in February 1952, and the princess became Queen.
Image source, AFPIn 2011, the Duke of Edinburgh spoke to Fiona Bruce in a special BBC One programme to mark his 90th birthday.
He told her he had had to work out for himself what his role was "by trial and error".
"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."
One of Prince Philip's most successful initiatives has been to create The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which has stretched the capabilities of more than seven million young people globally since 1956.
But he said he could not take credit for the highly successful scheme. "I don't run it - I've said it's all fairly secondhand the whole business. I mean, I eventually got landed with the responsibility or the credit for it.
"I've got no reason to be proud of it. It's satisfying that we've set up a formula that works - that's it."
Karen Driscoll, in Australia, says:My son and his air cadet friends received their gold Duke of Edinburgh Award many years ago. The duke spoke to each group and asked them about their achievements. He took an interest in what they had to say and made them all feel at ease which made the award worthwhile. Time for the Duke of Edinburgh to put his feet up and take things easy. Thank you
Owen Traylor, in Tokyo, tells us:As a British diplomat I interpreted for the Duke of Edinburgh both in Berlin during HM the Queen's State Visit in 1992 and in Tokyo when he led a trade mission to encourage Japanese airlines to consider purchasing the BAe 146. As a student I also met him in St Lucia in 1975 when I was on a school cricket tour. On all occasions the duke was courteous, engaged and engaging. His service to the UK over the past 70 years is immeasurable and demands proper recognition.
Sandra Turner, in Doncaster, writes:Well done to Prince Philip for his service and his organisations and for continuing to support the Queen in her roles, despite increasing years.
He presented me with my Gold D of E award in 1969 at Buckingham Palace and two sons went on to get theirs presented at St James's Palace in the early 90s.
Kris, in Coventry, says:A Prince Philip Day to mark the duke's birthday, starting next month would be a very fitting tribute to an amazing man. He has always spoken his mind, occasionally controversially, but very honestly.
Image source, PAProfessor Richard Toye, a historian from the University of Exeter, said royal engagement with public life and the media had been a crucial way of maintaining popular support for the monarchy in modern times.
“It is hard to imagine that any previous royal consort, had they lived into their nineties, would have been expected to keep up the level of activity that Prince Philip has done until today.
“His marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1947 was symbolic of a glamorous new era of royal celebrity which, however, came with considerable difficulties and strains.”