Expert claims Prince Philip didn’t want to live to be 100: ‘I can’t imagine anything worse’

A royal expert has claimed the Duke of Edinburgh didn’t wish to live to be 100 years old.

• Royal watcher, Ian Lloyd, claims Prince Philip made the admission during the Queen Mother’s centenary year 
• The Duke of Edinburgh will turn 100 on 10 June 1921
• It follows royal news that the arrival of Princess Eugenie's baby is "imminent"

Prince Philip has entered his centenary year and will mark his 100th birthday on 10th June. But, a royal expert claims the Duke of Edinburgh never wished to live this long.

Ian Lloyd made the admission in the Mail on Sunday, during a round-up of 100 things we didn’t know about Prince Philip.

The royal watcher wrote, “Watching the Queen Mother in her centenary year, he [Prince Philip] declared: ‘God I don’t want to live to be 100. I can’t imagine anything worse.”

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So it’s no surprise the Queen’s husband reportedly wants “nothing to do with any celebrations” and “doesn’t want a fuss” for his upcoming big day.

Despite his wishes, there will be a celebration to mark the milestone birthday. And it’s thought Prince Harry will return to the UK for it - over a year since he and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals.

It is hoped the Prince’s trip home will also coincide with the unveiling of a memorial statue being installed to pay tribute to the late Princess Diana and the Trooping of the Colour. 

The statue will sit in the Sunken Gardens at Buckingham Palace - one of the Princess of Wales’ favourite places. 

While the trip home will be an important one for the Duke of Sussex, it is thought Meghan Markle will “stay home” when Prince Harry returns to the UK later this year. 

As the reunion of the Fab Four could deter from the significance and cause a media furore. 

An insider revealed, "Harry wants to come back for The Queen and Prince Philip's big birthdays. But it looks likely it will be just him.

"If Meghan comes back, the feeling is that it would overshadow the occasion. People would only be looking at the 'drama' of it all.

"Of course she would be welcome, but a decision not to come would postpone that headache for a while at least.”

Palace insiders have said the logistics of such a trip - both with the current global pandemic and Harry and Meghan's one-year-old son Archie - should not be overlooked.

"It should be strongly stressed that there is still an element of uncertainty about this because of the unpredictable Covid situation, but the understanding is the duke is more than likely to come back on his own," a separate source revealed.

"This is a personal and practical decision by the couple, but it would certainly help officials navigate what is likely to be a fairly tricky situation."