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The past few months have been very turbulent for the royal family, and Queen Elizabeth is now turning her attention to Prince Philip’s health. Philip retired from royal duties three years ago and spends the majority of his time at Her Majesty’s Sandringham estate. But with his health reportedly taking a turn for the worse, royal experts fear that Queen Elizabeth could have another “annus horribilis” ahead of her.

Queen Elizabeth Prince Philip
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip | Alastair Grant – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Inside Queen Elizabeth’s first annus horribilis

Between Prince Andrew’s sex scandal and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s shocking exit from the royal family, there is plenty on Queen Elizabeth’s mind at the moment. While 2020 could very well be another bad year for the 93-year-old monarch, her first annus horribilis was way back in 1992.

In that one year alone, all three of Queen Elizabeth’s children announced separations from their respective spouses. This includes Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew. Charles ended things with Princess Diana, Anne separated from Mark Phillips, and Andrew parted ways with Sarah Ferguson.

“1992 was the last time she claimed it was her worst year,” Angela Mollard, an expert on the royals, shared. “Of course, three of her children separated…”

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Windsor Castle also caught fire in 1992 in a blaze that did extensive damage.

Following the drama of 1992, Queen Elizabeth declared it an “annus horribilis.” The royals have experienced their share of drama since then, but Mollard believes that 2020 could be part 2 of Queen Elizabeth’s disastrous year.

The royal family faces drama like never before

Last year, the royals were rocked when Andrew was linked to the disgraced financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Not only were the two known associates, but one of Epstein’s sex slaves accused Andrew of sleeping with her when she was only 17 years old.

Andrew, of course, has openly denied the allegations. But when he tried to clear his name in an interview last fall, he was forced into retirement when the plan backfired on him.

A few months after Andrew stepped away from the spotlight, Harry and Meghan announced that they are stepping down as senior members of the royal family. The announcement reportedly blindsided the royals, who have been scrambling to move forward ever since.

Harry and Meghan are currently living in Canada while they wait for Megxit to become official. They are expected to return to the UK for one final engagement, but that is not what royal experts believe is on Queen Elizabeth’s mind.

Is Queen Elizabeth worried about Prince Philip’s health?

There is no denying that Philip’s health has taken a big hit in recent years. At the age of 98 years old, Philip is no spring chicken. Although his retirement was long in coming, the Duke of Edinburgh has been hospitalized in recent months.

Philip is currently in better health, but Mollard does not believe he will outlast Queen Elizabeth, who is set to turn 94 years old in April.

Her Majesty is the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the British Empire, and she recently took her spot as the fifth longest-reigning ruler in the entire world. The top spot on that list belongs to Louis XIV of France, who sat on the throne for a whopping 72 years.

Queen Elizabeth has not commented on Philip’s health, so it is hard to determine what kind of condition he is in. If she does reach 100 years of age and becomes the world’s longest-reigning monarch, then we can only hope that Philip is there to see it.

Prince Philip will attend Princess Beatrice’s wedding

Amid all of the drama, there is one bright spot on the horizon for the royal family. Beatrice is set to tie the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on May 29 inside the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace.

Inside sources claim that Queen Elizabeth hopes the wedding will turn things around for the royals, and it sounds like Philip will be there to watch it all unfold.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claims that Philip does not plan on skipping the wedding and cannot wait to see Beatrice walk down the aisle. As royal watchers will recall, Philip was on hand for Princess Eugenie’s wedding in the fall of 2018.

“The Duke of Edinburgh, who will be 99 in June, will undoubtedly attend the wedding if his health permits as he did Eugenie’s, despite having retired,” Fitzwilliams explained.

Queen Elizabeth also granted Princess Beatrice the honor of having her reception at Buckingham Palace.

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