Prince Philip Once Said He Had "No Desire" to Live to 100 and Couldn't "Imagine Anything Worse"

• The world mourned on Friday when Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen's husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, had died at the age of 99.
• Philip was set to celebrate his 100th birthday on June 10, just two months and one day after he passed away. The late royal had been clear in the past, however, that he had no interest in seeing his own centennial.
• According to journalist Gyles Brandreth, Philip told him during a 2000 interview that he had "no desire whatsoever" to live to 100 and that he couldn't "imagine anything worse." The Duke of Edinburgh, who was 79 at the time of the interview, said, "Bits of me are falling off already."

Prince Philip passed away at 99 on Friday, April 9, just over two months shy of his 100th birthday. In 2019, the Telegraph's Gyles Brandreth recalled a 2000 interview with Philip during which the late royal made it clear that making it to his centennial was by no means a personal goal. 

According to Brandreth, the Duke of Edinburgh told him during their chat in 2000 that he had "no desire whatsoever" to live to be 100—he even explained why that was the case.

I can’t imagine anything worse," Philip, who was 79-years-old at the time explained, according to Brandreth. "Bits of me are falling off already."

Philip would have celebrated his 100th birthday this summer, on June 10. He is said to have died in his own bed at the royal residence in Windsor, with his wife of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II, by his side, according to a royal source.

In February and March, Philip spent 28 days in the hospital undergoing treatment for infection and a pre-existing heart condition, but very few details of his passing, including cause of death, have been made public. On Friday, Buckingham Palace released a brief statement confirming the sad news, writing:

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss. Further announcements will be made in due course."

The royal family will honor Philip in small, private service in Windsor on April 17.