Britain's Prince Philip praised at 90th birthday service (AFP)

WINDSOR, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain's royal family gathered Sunday for a service of thanksgiving marking the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip.

More than 750 guests, including senior royals, his Mountbatten family relatives, foreign royalty, past and present staff and friends from the world of sailing, polo and carriage driving turned out to celebrate his milestone.

The Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving consort in British history, turned 90 on Friday and marked the occasion in idiosyncratic style -- getting on with his duties as he hosted a charity reception and a colonels' conference.

Sunday's service at Saint George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London, was the focal point for his birthday commemorations.

His grandson Prince William and his new wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, braved the rain to attend, as did the former king Constantine II of Greece.

The Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Conner, made the congregation laugh when he told them the duke, born a prince of Greece and Denmark, "doesn't like to the praised".

But he said praise was due for the royal patriarch, who for more than six decades has been the queen's tireless supporter.

The dean paid tribute to Prince Philip's service to Britain and the wider Commonwealth, his patronage of more than 800 organisations and his "modest" nature.

The duke, known for his plain-speaking, received a new title for his 90th birthday Friday.

The queen made him Lord High Admiral -- the titular head of the British Royal Navy -- partly in recognition of the promising seafaring career he gave up to spend a lifetime at her side.

Prince Philip told the BBC he would finally scale back his workload.

"I reckon I've done my bit. 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 my memory's going, I can't remember names. I'm just sort of winding down."

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Prince Philip celebrates 90th birthday (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Prince Philip, the husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, turns 90 on Friday but will keep the celebrations at a minimum in keeping with the no-nonsense style that has defined a life behind the throne.

The gruff patriarch, the longest-serving consort in British history, will spend his birthday at work, hosting a charity reception and chairing a conference for military colonels.

Although still sprightly and remarkably fit, the Duke of Edinburgh is bowing to his age and intends to slow his hectic schedule of engagements.

But he is as quick as ever when making quips -- some of which have famously landed him in trouble -- and after a lifetime of getting on with it, he showed typical impatience when asked to analyse the past 90 years.

He admitted in a BBC interview that he had worked out his role by "trial and error", but when asked if he thought he had been successful, he replied: "I couldn't care less. Who cares what I think about it? I mean it's ridiculous."

However, in a sign of the public affection for him, the palace revealed that almost 2,000 birthday cards had been sent to the duke from across the globe, including New Zealand and Australia, Italy, Poland, France and Germany.

Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, a nephew of Greek king Constantine I, was born on a kitchen table on Corfu on June 10, 1921.

After a turbulent childhood, Lieutenant Mountbatten, as he became, married in 1947, but his stellar progress in the British Royal Navy was halted when his wife became queen in 1952 and he was forced to abandon his career.

He told ITV it was "disappointing", but "being married to the queen, it seemed to me that my first duty was to serve her in the best way I could."

Since then he has carved out his own role supporting the monarch, accompanying her on visits and jollying people up with his off-the-cuff remarks, which have sometimes been near the knuckle.

"You managed not to get eaten, then?" he told a British student who had trekked in Papua New Guinea, in 1998.

He is patron of some 800 organisations, and has carved a niche for himself in the fields of conservation, design and developing life skills among youngsters. At the grand age of 90, however, he has finally decided to take a step back.

"I reckon I've done my bit. 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 told the BBC.

"On top of that my memory's going, I can't remember names. I'm just sort of winding down."

Paying tribute to the duke this week, Prime Minister David Cameron said he had been "a constant companion and a source of rock-solid strength" to the queen, and had served the British people "with an unshakeable sense of duty".

He said Britons found the duke's "inimitable" down-to-earth style "endearing" and the country owed him a "deserved debt of gratitude."

Buckingham Palace has released 90 facts about the duke to mark his birthday, including that he drives a liquid petroleum gas taxi around London and designed the Inter-University Tiddlywinks Championship trophy.

The formal marking of his 90th birthday will be a service of thanksgiving at Saint George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, attended by the royal family, with a reception to follow. A special commemorative coin has also been produced.

The no-frills celebrations are very much in keeping with his character.

As a youth, the prince was "very boyish, but great fun, always great fun and very kind," his cousin Lady Myra Butter said.

"He hasn't really changed much as a person at all, I don't think. He just gets on with it. That's his motto. Just get on with it."

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UK Queen's feisty husband Prince Philip turns 90 (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain's Prince Philip, renowned for his blunt talk and verbal gaffes, turns 90 on Friday, spending the day as he has much of life performing official duties in his role as Queen Elizabeth's husband.

The son of the exiled Prince Andrew of Greece, Philip married the queen in 1947 and is now the longest-serving consort and oldest-serving spouse of any British monarch.

Despite being a near constant companion at the queen's side during her long reign, the still sprightly prince has rarely sought the limelight himself.

His birthday will be in keeping with that low-key style; he will hold a reception to mark the centenary of a charity for the deaf and in the evening he will chair a conference for senior British military figures followed by a dinner.

"It's a normal working day for him. There's no celebration as such," his spokeswoman said.

The only formal event to mark his birthday will take place on Sunday with a special service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, one of the queen's residences, west of London, which will be attended by most of the royal family.

Philip, the oldest living great-great-grandchild of Britain's Queen Victoria, was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on the Greek island of Corfu in 1921.

His family was forced into exile when Philip was 18 months old and he came to England as a child, later becoming a naturalized British citizen.

He served in the Royal Navy during World War Two, taking part in the Allied landings in Sicily and was in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered in 1945.

He first met his future wife when she was 13 and visited the naval college where he was a cadet, and following the war they got engaged, when he was given the title the Duke of Edinburgh.

"STRENGTH AND STAY"

As the queen's husband he has no clear constitutional role, although he does accompany his wife on most of her official engagements in Britain and all her foreign trips.

"He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years," the queen said in a personal tribute to Philip during a speech to mark their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.

"I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know."

His most notable achievement is the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme for young people, which is estimated to have attracted about seven million participants from 132 countries since 1956.

In an interview with the BBC to be aired on Thursday, Philip himself said he took no credit for the scheme, and gave a typically blunt answer when asked if he thought he had been successful in his royal role.

"I couldn't care less," he said, adding that he would be winding down his official engagements. "Who cares what I think about it, I mean it's ridiculous."

It is for such gruff remarks, and unguarded comments and gaffes that he is best-known, with his sayings even being published in several books.

He once told British students in China: "If you stay here much longer, you'll be slitty-eyed" and asked Aborigines in Australia if they still threw spears at each other.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Philip had always done things "in his own inimitable way, with a down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach that the British people I believe find endearing."

While Philip has spent his life in the shadow of the queen, there is one place where he outshines his wife -- on the south Pacific island of Tanna in the Vanuatu group, where the locals worship him as a god.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)

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Prince Philip soldiers on as he turns 90 (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, turns 90 on Friday but will mark the occasion with little fanfare, in keeping with his famously no-nonsense style.

The longest-serving consort in British history would have been forgiven a day off to celebrate, but the gruff patriarch did not want a fuss and will spend the day at work, hosting a reception and a colonels' conference.

Sprightly and remarkably fit, the Duke of Edinburgh shows few signs of slowing up in his old age and is as quick as ever when making quips -- some of which have famously landed him in trouble.

Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to him in parliament on Wednesday, saying he would keep his remarks brief as, in the prince's words, "the mind cannot absorb what the backside cannot endure."

Prince Philip has been named Oldie of the Year by The Oldie magazine, but the peppery former naval officer is not impressed.

"Well, so what? You just get old!" he told ITV television in an interview to mark his birthday.

Forthright and impatient, the duke has spent his entire life getting on with it, and he gave little away about his feelings on turning 90.

Asked if there was anything he would have done differently, he said: "I'd rather not have made the mistakes that I did make; I'm not going to tell you what they are!"

Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, a nephew of Greek king Constantine I, was born on a kitchen table on Corfu on June 10, 1921.

After a turbulent childhood, Lieutenant Mountbatten, as he became, married in 1947, but his stellar progress in the British Royal Navy was halted when his wife became queen in 1952 and he was forced to abandon his career.

He told ITV it was "disappointing", but "being married to the queen, it seemed to me that my first duty was to serve her in the best way I could."

Since then he has carved out his own role supporting the queen, accompanying her on visits and jollying people up with his off-the-cuff remarks, which have sometimes been near the knuckle.

"You managed not to get eaten, then?" he told a British student who had trekked in Papua New Guinea, in 1998.

He is patron of some 800 organisations, and has carved a niche for himself in the fields of conservation, design and developing life skills among youngsters.

The duke was on form during the queen's historic first state visit to Ireland last month, eyeing up a freshly-poured pint of Guinness, despite it being only half an hour after breakfast.

Cameron said the duke had been "a constant companion and a source of rock-solid strength" to Queen Elizabeth.

"He has served us, the British people, with an unshakeable sense of duty."

Cameron said Britons found the duke's "inimitable" down-to-earth style "endearing" and the country owed him a "deserved debt of gratitude."

Opposition leader Ed Miliband said the duke was a "prince amongst consorts, but a king amongst characters.

"His unique turn of phrase has been a much loved feature of British public life."

MP Nicholas Soames, a grandson of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and a friend of the prince for 50 years, said he "refreshingly does not suffer fools gladly -- as I know to my cost."

Buckingham Palace has released 90 facts about the duke to mark his birthday, including that he drives a liquid petroleum gas taxi around London and designed the Inter-University Tiddlywinks Championship trophy.

The formal marking of his 90th birthday will be a service of thanksgiving at Saint George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, attended by the royal family, with a reception to follow.

The no-frills celebrations are very much in keeping with his character.

As a youth, the prince was "very boyish, but great fun, always great fun and very kind," his cousin Lady Myra Butter said.

"He hasn't really changed much as a person at all, I don't think.

"He just gets on with it. That's his motto. Just get on with it."

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Philip Roth wins Man Booker International Prize (AFP)

SYDNEY (AFP) – Philip Roth, America's most decorated living novelist, on Wednesday won the fourth Man Booker International Prize, beating off competition from 12 other authors for the 60,000 pound ($97,500) award.

The prize was first presented in 2005, and is given every two years for a body of work that was written either originally in English or is widely available in English translation.

The 78-year-old Roth, who could not travel to Sydney to receive the accolade because of back problems, said it was a great honour to be recognised.

"One of the particular pleasures I've had as a writer is to have my work read internationally despite all the heartaches of translation that that entails," the Connecticut-based author said in a statement.

"I hope the prize will bring me to the attention of readers around the world who are not familiar with my work. This is a great honour and I'm delighted to receive it."

Roth is one of the world's most prolific writers, and his acerbically humorous studies of Jewish-American identity have won adulation from critics and readers alike.

He is best known for his 1969 novel "Portnoy's Complaint", and for his trilogy comprising the Pulitzer Prize-winning "American Pastoral" (1997), "I Married a Communist" (1998) and "The Human Stain" (2000).

Aged just 26, he won the US National Book Award in 1960 for his first book, "Goodbye, Columbus", and in 1995 for "Sabbath's Theater".

He has also won two National Book Critics Circle awards and three PEN/Faulkner awards. In 2001 he was awarded the gold medal for fiction by The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

His most recent book, "Nemesis", was published in 2010.

"For more than 50 years Philip Roth's books have stimulated, provoked, and amused an enormous, and still expanding, audience," said the chairman of the Booker judging panel, writer and rare-book dealer Rick Gekoski.

"His imagination has not only recast our idea of Jewish identity, it has also reanimated fiction, and not just American fiction, generally."

The Man Booker International Prize is different from the better known Man Booker Prize, which is given annually to writers from the British Commonwealth and Ireland, in that it highlights one author's overall body of work.

It has previously been won by Albanian author Ismail Kadare in 2005, Nigeria's Chinua Achebe in 2007 and Alice Munro of Canada in 2009.

The award was somewhat overshadowed this year by British thriller writer John le Carre asking that his name be withdrawn from the shortlist because "I do not compete for literary prizes".

The 2011 prize was the first to include Chinese authors in Wang Anyi, whose Shanghai novels include "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow", and Su Tong, writer of "Raise the Red Lantern: Three Novellas".

Indian-Canadian Rohinton Mistry and US writer Anne Tyler were also in the running this year.

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