Duke of Edinburgh marks 60th birthday with new photographs
New photographs of the Duke of Edinburgh have been released to mark his 60th birthday on Sunday.
Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, has also been appointed to the Order of the Thistle - the highest honour in Scotland.
Appointments to the order are entirely in the personal gift of the King and do not require prime ministerial advice.
In newly released images, Edward is pictured with his three dogs, labrador Teal, cocker spaniel Mole and labrador puppy Teasel.
In a rare newspaper interview, Edward, the King's brother, said the monarchy is “as important as ever” in “trying to bring people together”.
He told the Daily Mail: “Our role – being part of the monarchy – in trying to bring people together is as important as ever, if not more so today.
“I think we all wonder how we can reach out to those communities who perhaps don’t always think that this, the monarchy, is something for them.”
The duke carried out a series of engagements with the Duchess of Edinburgh earlier this week, ahead of his milestone birthday.
He was presented with a Leeds Rhinos rugby shirt with “HRH 60” on the back to mark the date, during a visit to Headingley Stadium in Leeds on Friday.
Edward noticed the detail on the back and said to his wife: “Yours is more subtle than mine.”
He told the young players: “Thanks a bunch. I really need to be reminded.”
Sophie then paid a tearful tribute to Edward at the end of the Community Sport and Recreation Awards, saying he was “the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and he is still my best friend” and she was “so proud of the man he is”.
The slimmed-down working monarchy has been under increasing pressure, with some leading members of the royal family ruled out of public-facing duties.
Charles, 75, is undergoing treatment for cancer and the Princess of Wales is recuperating from abdominal surgery.
As well as Edward, there are three other new recipients of the Order of the Thistle.
They are anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black, distinguished lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy and Scotland’s first black professor Sir Geoff Palmer.
The new appointments are effective from Sunday, and the installation ceremony is expected to take place over the summer.
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