As Britain and royal admirers around the world mourn the loss of Prince Philip, it seems the Duke of Edinburgh is finally at peace.
Queen Elizabeth II's longtime husband and the longest-serving consort in British history died on Friday, April 9. He was 99—just two months shy of his 100th birthday—when he passed away "peacefully" at Windsor Castle, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. While Philip's death is a great loss for the royal family and the world, it seems the former lieutenant never wanted to live long enough to become a centenarian.
According to a piece published by The Telegraph in 2019, writer Gyles Brandreth recalled Philip telling him he had "no desire whatsoever" to live to 100. "I can't imagine anything worse," the Duke of Edinburgh said during a 2000 interview, according to Brandreth. "Bits of me are falling off already."
While he had not yet reached 80 at the time, Prince Philip went on to live another two decades. He retired from his royal duties in 2017, but continued to occasionally participate in royal family events throughout his final years, including the private wedding of his granddaughter Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Though he may not have expected it back then, Philip is now the third longest-living member of the British royal family, behind Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who was 101 at the time of her death, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who lived to be 102.