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May 4, 2017

See Prince Philip's Last Public Appearance Before Announcing His Retirement

Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Early Thursday morning, Buckingham Palace announced Prince Philip's plans to retire from his royal duties.

"His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, The Duke has the full support of The Queen. Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying The Queen," a spokesperson said. "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 Duke of Edinburgh is Patron, President or a member of over 780 organizations, with which he will continue to be associated, although he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements," Buckingham Palace's statement continued. "Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full program of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family."

The retirement __news comes less than 24 hours after the 95-year-old made an appearance at the new Warner Stand at Lord's in London.

Queen Elizabeth II's husband was seen ringing in the reconstruction project—which is estimated to have cost a whopping £25 million—earlier Wednesday.

At the time, the Marylebone Cricket Club official Robert Ebdon released the following statement in a press release: "Today is a landmark moment for the club and we are very grateful to His Royal Highness for joining us to celebrate the official opening of the Warner Stand."

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The Warner Stand at Lord's @HomeOfCricket is officially opened by The Duke of Edinburgh ? pic.twitter.com/9tMKvIAYLm

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 3, 2017

He added, "This truly outstanding facility will be enjoyed by visitors to Lord's for many years to come."

Before pulling a cord to part a small curtain, The Duke of Edinburgh joked, "You're about to see the world's most experienced plaque-unveiler."

The massive reconstruction project involved the complete overhaul of the 2,656-seat stand and will continue to be rebuilt in multiple phases over the course of the next 20 years.

Later today, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend a service for Members of the Order of Merit at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.

Afterward, the royal couple will give a luncheon for those attending the service.

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