Royal watchers were worried the British Royal Family could be dealing with yet more family heartache, with Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son and the newly titled Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, went missing in action for the past two months.
On November 21 he popped up back up, being spotted in Sydney for the first time after flying in for a three-day visit in support of the The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
WATCH NOW: Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and family arrives at the coronation. Article continues after video.
He was seen walking through Sydney Airport after arriving on a commercial flight from New Zealand.
However, prior to this sighting, many were worried about the whereabouts of Prince Edward.
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, was all smiles while on a recent five-day tour of Canada, but following this, there were fears that her happy act could be masking something more serious back home.
Sophie’s trip to the Commonwealth nation marks the second tour in recent months she has done without her husband, Edward, by her side.
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It follows reports Edward, 59, who shares two children with Sophie – James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn, and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor – has struggled deeply with the loss of both his parents in relatively quick succession.
“Edward had barely come to terms with losing his father, so the Queen passing soon after really took it out of him,” a source previously told New Idea.
In October, the Duchess, 58, also visited Ethiopia to shine a spotlight on World Sight Day.
Now Sophie’s regular solo outings are sparking growing concerns among royal circles over her husband’s whereabouts.
It was two months since the Duke of Edinburgh made his last appearance on September 14, when he gave a speech for the Commonwealth Youth Games at St James’s Palace.
Onlookers say Edward appeared “slimmer than usual, and his clothes were hanging off him”, raising the alarm for the prince’s health as he remains out of the public eye.
