Inside Europe: Prince Philip bows out Retired from duties Though he has enjoyed a rather robust life into old age, over the last decade, Philip has endured a number of health issues. These include suffering from an infection, which kept him in hospital for two-nights, and later having a hip operation. Philip retired from his royal duties in 2017 and now rarely appears in public. However, two years later, at the age of 97, he gave up his driver's license after a car crash involving his Land Rover. He was most recently admitted to hospital at the end of 2019, spending four nights in the same facility he is in now.