Prince Philip's quiet retirement: Life apart from Queen at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's cottage

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip enjoyed 74 wonderful years of marriage after tying the knot in November 1947.

The late Duke of Edinburgh caught her attention when she was just 13, sparking a legendary romance, and the couple eventually welcomed their four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

This Thursday marks five years since Philip passed away at 99 years old on April 9, 2021, a day that left the late Queen grieving.

Royal author Hugo Vickers discusses Philip's later years in his new biography, Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, during which the royal couple spent extended periods apart.

Philip concluded his final royal duty on August 2, 2017, as Captain-General of the Royal Marines, symbolising the end of the 1664 Global Challenge.

This marked the conclusion of around 22,219 public duties—and the Queen felt this deserved recognition.

According to Hugo Vickers, after stepping back, Prince Philip enjoyed the freedom to do "exactly as he pleased."

In his later years, he mainly settled at the five-bedroom Wood Farm Cottage in Sandringham, where, more recently, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor stayed following the loss of his titles. He has since relocated to Marsh Farm.

The author notes: "He found joy at Wood Farm and mainly resided there. Over the next two and a half years, it became his home. He loved driving carriages, reading extensively, and doing some painting.

"Occasionally, she traveled by train to Norfolk for weekend visits. She gave him freedom once again. In some ways, they lived separately. Penny Romsey, now the Countess Mountbatten, frequently stayed with him there."

Philip was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013 and courageously fought the illness for eight years until his passing, Hugo Vickers disclosed.

During HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast, he shared more details: "On the night before he died, he used his walker to reach the Oak Room, the room above the entrance from which the Queen's funeral car emerged, enjoying a beer alone.

The royal author also mentioned that Philip would likely have disliked the fanfare of turning 100; he departed two months short of the milestone.

"He was adamantly against being celebrated," he noted. Sadly, Philip passed away without his devoted wife, the Queen, by his side.