Prince Philip's heartwarming prediction about the Queen that has come true

Prince Philip made a prediction about the Queen many years ago which has now come true, according to a royal author.

• The Queen has reached a point in her reign where her absence from the public eye won't hurt her popularity, according to royal expert Ian Lloyd.
• This is a prediction that Prince Philip made many years ago.
• This follows royal news that Kate Middleton is hiring a personal assistant.

The monarch is reported to have once said how she needs "to be seen to be believed," in an assessment of the monarchy in the modern age. 

However, royal commentator Ian Lloyd believes the 96-year-old monarch no longer needs to abide by this mantra, as she has reached a stage in her life when she is "venerated" by the public.

When asked if Her Majesty could maintain her popularity in the UK, despite no longer being able to make as many public appearances due to her advanced age and mobility issues, he told Express, "Yes, because I think she is at a stage in her life when she is venerated because we are coming to the end of her reign."

He explained, "Had it all happened say 50 years ago, supposing she had some illness that confined her to the palace, that would have been a problem in her middle age."

Ian also revealed how Prince Philip had made the very prediction that the Queen wouldn't have to be quite so present publicly in her later years - much like Queen Victoria after Prince Albert died.

He said, "I remember Prince Philip saying in the late 1950s, when the Queen was in her mid 40s and he was about 50, 'we are entering the least interesting phase of the reign', because in middle age the glamour of youth start to disappear.

"Philip also predicted that, in her old age, the Queen would be venerated in the way Queen Victoria was.

"Republicanism was really really high in the 1860s, when Queen Victoria withdrew from the public eye after the death of Prince Albert. She was no longer seen in public and refused to come out of the palaces as she was in mourning - the monarchy's popularity was at an all-time low.

"However, in her old age and by the time she was still venerated. Queen Elizabeth is the only monarch many people have ever known and a big part of everybody's life and I think she is venerated by many."

She certainly is.