Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
source
Name	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Title	Duke of Edinburgh
Caption	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1992

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was a member of the British royal family and the husband of Elizabeth II, serving as the Consort of the United Kingdom from 1952 until his death in 2021. He was born into the Greek and Danish royal families and was a descendant of Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Victoria. Prince Philip was also a great-great-grandson of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and a great-grandson of King George I of Greece. He was related to several other European royal families, including the Romanov dynasty and the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Early Life

Prince Philip was born on June 10, 1921, in Corfu, Greece, to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His early life was marked by frequent moves, as his family was forced to flee Greece after the Greco-Turkish War. He spent time in France and England, where he attended Cheam School and later Gordonstoun School in Scotland. Prince Philip was also a nephew of Lord Louis Mountbatten and a cousin of King Haakon VII of Norway and King Frederick IX of Denmark. He was a great-nephew of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and a great-great-nephew of King Edward VII.

Military Career

Prince Philip began his Royal Navy career in 1939, attending the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and later served on the HMS Valiant during the Battle of Cape Matapan in World War II. He also served on the HMS Wallace and the HMS Whelp, and was present at the Surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay in 1945. Prince Philip was a close friend of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and Admiral of the Fleet Louis Mountbatten, and he was also acquainted with Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was awarded the War Cross and the Greek War Cross for his service during the war.

Marriage and Family

Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey, and the couple had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. He was a grandfather of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, and Zara Tindall, and a great-grandfather of Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, and Prince Louis of Cambridge. Prince Philip was also a uncle of King Constantine II of Greece and a cousin of King Harald V of Norway and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Royal Duties and Patronages

As the consort of the Queen of the United Kingdom, Prince Philip supported Elizabeth II at numerous official events and engagements, including the State Opening of Parliament and the Trooping the Colour ceremony. He was also a patron of over 780 organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, the Scouting Association, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Prince Philip was a close friend of Nelson Mandela and Jacques Cousteau, and he was also acquainted with Pope John XXIII and Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was awarded the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle for his service to the United Kingdom.

Later Life and Death

In his later years, Prince Philip continued to carry out royal duties, although he began to slow down and eventually retired from public life in 2017. He died on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99, at Windsor Castle, surrounded by his family, including Elizabeth II, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Prince Philip's funeral was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and he was laid to rest in the Royal Vault beneath the chapel. He was remembered for his dedication to the British royal family and his service to the United Kingdom, as well as his connections to other European royal families, including the House of Romanov and the House of Glücksburg. Category:British royal consorts