Prince Philip's retirement is going to mean a major change for William and Kate

We hope they're ready

Last week Queen Elizabeth sent the nation into a right royal frenzy after an emergency meeting was called at Buckingham Palace to make an urgent announcement about Prince Philip.

The announcement was made by the Lord Chamberlain and revealed that Prince Philip will be retiring from his royal duties this autumn. Which is more than fair enough considering he turns 96 next month. 

Prince Philip is said to have made the decision to step down from public life himself an whilst the Queen fully supports her husband's decision, she will continue to carry out her own public engagements. 

While the Duke of Edinburgh will continue to be a member of some of the 780 organisations he is currently involved in, ‘he will no longer play an active role by attending engagements.’

However, with Prince Philip stepping down from the public eye the pressure is undoubtedly now falling to the younger generation of royals who will mostly likely be expected to step up in their grandfather's absence.

Given that Kate and William will be moving to London just as Prince Philip retires, it's likely the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be facing an increased workload come the autumn, though Kate has already revealed she'll be doing the school run with Prince George.

Just recently Prince William was criticised for seemingly skipping the Commonwealth Service in favour of a skiing holiday, other members of the royal family who attended the event included the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Prince Harry. 

Over the last year Prince Williams has attended 80 royal engagements, whilst his brother Prince Harry has been present at 86.

Though we imagine this time next year Wills might have a slightly higher number.