Prince Philip birthday: Royal family lead tributes as Duke of Edinburgh turns 99

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge among those to publicly mark the milestone occasion

The royal family has been paying tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh on his 99th birthday.

While Prince Philip’s birthday celebrations are likely to be low-key this year due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, several members of the family have publicly marked the milestone occasion by posting online tributes.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were among the first to share a message of celebration on their Kensington Royal social media accounts.

“Wishing a very happy 99th Birthday to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh!”, Prince William and Kate Middleton wrote alongside two photos of them with the royal.

The first image showed Kate smiling at Philip as he waved to crowds during the Patron's Lunch celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016, while a second photo featured William with his grandfather as they watched the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham in 2015.

Many of the couple’s followers took the chance to wish the Duke of Edinburgh a happy birthday themselves by commenting on the post.

“Congratulations Prince Philip, what a wonderful birthday!” one person wrote, while another added: “These pictures warm my heart. Happy birthday Prince Philip.”

The duke’s eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, also shared a tribute to his father on social media.

“Wishing The Duke of Edinburgh a very happy 99th birthday! ,” a message from the Clarence House Instagram account read.

The post also included two photos of the father and son together. The first was a black-and-white image featuring Philip and a young Charles on a small boat, while the second showed them smiling as they chatted during an official royal engagement.

In a recent interview Prince Charles said he was missing his family and revealed that he hasn’t seen his father for months.

“Well I haven’t seen my father for a long time. He’s going to be 99 next week…it’s terribly sad,” Charles said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle no longer have official social media accounts after deciding to step down as senior members of the royal family.

To mark Prince Philip’s birthday, the royal family released an official photo of the duke and the queen posing side-by-side outside Windsor Castle.

The portrait was the first public image of the duke for nearly six months as he was last seen leaving hospital on Christmas Eve following a four-night admission for an undisclosed but “pre-existing condition”.

Philip retired from official duties in 2017 after decades of public service.