Philip, prince consort of record longevity in British history, celebrates his 99th birthday on Wednesday, confined to Windsor Castle with his wife, Queen Elisabeth II, due to the pandemic of new coronavirus. For this occasion, Buckingham Palace has released a new photograph of the royal couple, united for 72 years, posing in early June in the courtyard of the castle located about forty kilometers west of London. Elisabeth II wears a dress from Angela Kelly, who was her personal stylist, with a diamond brooch in the shape of a heart. Her husband is in a blazer with a tie from the Household Division of the British Army.
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Because of their age, the 94-year-old sovereign and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, are part of the population at risk for Covid-19 disease. Elisabeth II had withdrawn to Windsor on March 19, a few days before containment in the United Kingdom came into effect, which claimed more than 40,500 lives and began lifting restrictions in early June. She had celebrated her 94th birthday in privacy on April 21, without her family or the traditional salutes of honor. Prince Philip, who retired from public life in 2017, has not been seen in public since his brief "precautionary" hospitalization in December due to "pre-existing health conditions" .