Prince Philip Skips Church Service With Queen Elizabeth Due To Hip Problems

Prince Philip is having hip problems.

On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II stepped out to attend the Royal Maundy Service at St. George Chapel. The Duke of Edinburgh was supposed to there with the monarch but unfortunately, he did not make it.

"The duke was keen to attend but made this decision because he was experiencing some trouble with his hip," a source said on Thursday (via Us Weekly).

The order of service was reportedly printed a few weeks back when the Duke hoped to take part of it. However, he "has since decided not to attend."

During the outing, Her Majesty handed out commemorative coins to pensioners as part of the traditional royal service at Windsor Castle. There were 92 women and 92 men who received the coins marking 100 years since women got the right to vote, BBC reported.

The recipients who were chosen by ministers and members of the clergy received red and white purses. The red one contained a £5 coin marking the four generations of royalty and a 50 pence piece commemorating the Representation of the People Act 1918. Meanwhile, the white purse has silver penny pieces which add up to the value of 92 pence -- the queen's age.

As for the Duke's absence, it was not the first time that he missed an appointment. Prince Philip was also expected to attend the formal appointment of Prince Andrew as the new Colonel of the Grenadier Guards last week but his father did not make it in the event

Prince Philip held that title since 1975. However, he decided to pass it to the Duke of York in 2017 after announcing his retirement.

Since then, the 96-year-old royal has taken a step back from his public duties. However, the palace announced that he would still attend royal engagements occasionally.

"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 Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagement with the support of members of the royal family."