Prince Philip’s age prevented the Duke of Edinburgh from advising Meghan and Prince Harry on the decision to step down as senior royals, royal biographer Ingrid Seward said. She told Fox News: “At his great age, there was a limit to how involved he wanted to be.
“At that age, you just don’t have the energy and the drive to interfere too much with your grandchildren’s lives.
“If Prince Philip would have been younger, he would have been more influential.
“He would have told Harry, ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?
“‘Do you know what you’re giving up?
“‘You cannot have one foot in the palace and the other foot out.
“‘You have to make a decision and I don’t want you to regret it’.”
The Duke of Edinburgh is believed to have been sympathetic with Meghan, who came from a different country and working experience before joining the Royal Family in May 2018.
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Much like Meghan, the Duke was an outsider when he married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947.
And, according to Ms Seward, he had been treated “appallingly” by a few royal courtiers during his first years at the palace.
She continued: “I think that Philip really understood that Meghan was going to find royal life difficult and he was supportive of her.”
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Prince Philip’s age didn’t just have an impact on his desire to step into the lives of younger royals to give his piece of advice but also brought some discomfort to the elderly royal, according to Ms Seward.
However, the Duke didn’t cave in to the health issues coming with age, such as reduced eyesight, mobility or hearing, and continued to pursue his hobbies.
The expert wrote in her book, Prince Philip Revealed: “What he lacked in cognitive ability he made up for with practical intelligence, and in spite of the Queen complaining that he couldn’t hear a thing, he continued to listen to music and watch television with the subtitles.
“He still painted when the mood took him and although his eyesight was fading and he has always needed glasses, he wrote long letters and enjoyed reading.
“The extensive Sandringham library was a goldmine of biographies he wanted to read but had never had the time for.
“Philip has always enjoyed a curious mind and although as he got older he forgot names, he retained the desire for self-improvement and made the effort to brush up his memory when he felt it was lapsing or he couldn’t find the right word.
“He used all the recommended tools and refused to give in to brain fatigue.”
Prince Philip acknowledged himself the advancing age came with a few issues.
During an interview carried out to mark his 90th birthday, recorded six years before he retired, the Duke said: “I reckon I’ve done my bit.
“So, I want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say.
“On top of that, your memory’s going. I can’t remember names and things.
“It’s better to get out before you reach your sell-by date.”
