Prince Philip Joins Queen Elizabeth for His First Public Appearance Since January

It’s official, the Duke of Edinburgh has attended his first public engagement since January.

Prince Philip—who is about to celebrate his 98th birthday next month—accompanied Her Majesty the Queen on Tuesday May 7, at an event at Windsor Castle. Held every two years, the Order of Merit service honors those who have made great achievements in the fields of the arts, learning, literature and science.

The Order (founded in 1902 by Edward VII) includes members that are personally chosen by the monarch herself. Previous members of the Order have included Florence Nightingale, Sir Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela to name a few. 

Not only did the Duke attend the service alongside the queen, he also spoke at the lunch honoring this year’s attendees, which included Sir David Attenborough, Baroness Boothroyd and Dame Ann Dowling.

Since his retirement from official duties in August 2017, Prince Philip has rarely been seen at royal engagements. However, this is the first time we have seen the Duke of Edinburgh in public since the car crash he had at Sandringham in January. Luckily, he had no serious injuries.

The royal couple were photographed (above) speaking with guests, and the queen even commented on the recent arrival of her eighth great-grandchild. 

Now let's get more pics of the queen and little Archie!