Persian Realm

The Duke of Edinburgh, who has turned 90, has told the BBC he is "winding down" and reducing his workload as a senior member of the royal family. ( See Related BBC News)

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In an interview with the BBC's Fiona Bruce, the Queen's husband said he reckoned he had "done his bit".

His birthday on Friday will be spent hosting a Buckingham Palace event for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which is marking its centenary.

He will attend a private service of thanksgiving at Windsor on Sunday.

However, there will be a 62-gun salute by the Honourable Artillery Company on Friday afternoon.

The Royal Mint has marked the milestone by producing a commemorative £5 coin, available in cupro-nickel, gold and silver, as well as a rare platinum edition at £5,450.

The souvenir piece features a portrait of Prince Philip on one side and the Queen on the other - the first time a reigning monarch and consort have appeared on opposite sides of a UK coin.

Sculptor Mark Richards, who designed the coin, said: "The challenge for me, in creating this design, was to capture a man who gives great support to the monarch andthe country, while remaining largely in the background.

"Therefore I have focused on a close-up of his face with all its accumulated dignity,wisdom and experience."

'Sell-by date'

The Queen turned 85 in April and she will reach her Diamond Jubilee next year, marking 60 years since she came to the throne.

She married Prince Philip in 1947, making him the longest-serving consort in British history.

In the interview with the BBC, he talked about his advancing years, saying it was better to get out "before you reach your sell-by date".

"I reckon I've done my bit so I want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility,less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say," he said.

"On top of that, your memory's going - I can't remember names and things."

Over many decades, the duke has embraced a range of causes including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and conservation, though he insisted he was not a"green" campaigner.

"I think that there's a difference between being concerned for the conservation of nature and being a bunny hugger," he added.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the prince's comments were typically frank admissions.

He said the Dukeof Edinburgh was a no-nonsense royal whose crucial role had been to support the Queen, especially during years of turmoil.

On the eve of his birthday Prince Philip, dressed in his Grenadier Guards uniform, took the salute at the annual beating retreat ceremony on Horse Guards Parade.

Watched by 4,000 members of the public, almost 300 members of bands of the Household Division performed under a blue evening sky.

The division was supported by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the United States Army Europe Band and Chorus.

The latter brought a touch of war time nostalgia to the ceremony, singing the White Cliffs Of Dover and slow-dancing in pairs.

The origins of the beating retreat ceremony lie in the early days of chivalry when beating or sounding retreat called a halt to the day's fighting,a return to camp and the mounting of the guard for the night.

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