Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

consort of Elizabeth II from 1952 to 2021

Photo by: Allan Warren · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born:June 10, 1921

Died:April 9, 2021

Age at death:99

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Senility

Zodiac Sign:Gemini

Children:4

Born in:Corfu, Greece

Residence:Windsor Castle, United Kingdom

Buried in:United Kingdom

Languages:German, French, English

Military Officer Naval Officer Polo Player Prince Consort

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Photo credits (7)

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh:
Photo by: Allan Warren · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth II:
Photo by: Donald McKague · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor:
Photo by: Titanic Belfast · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh:
Photo by: UKinUSA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Charles III:
Photo by: White House · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex:
Photo by: File:Prince Harry arrives at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London 20 January 2020 (49413820711).jpg: DFID - UK Department for International Development derivative work: Minerva97 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
William, Prince of Wales:
Photo by: Ian Jones · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Links

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Famous For

Movies & TV

UndergroundA Queen Is CrownedRoyal JourneyVyprávěj

Awards

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (2017)Knight of the Order of Australia (2015)Extraordinary Commander of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) (2013)Freedom of the Royal Borough of Greenwich (2012)Order of New Zealand (2012)

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

consort of Elizabeth II from 1952 to 2021

Biography

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and served as consort of the British monarch from her accession on 6 February 1952 until his death in 2021, making him the longest-serving royal consort in British history. Philip was born in Greece into the Greek and Danish royal families. His family was exiled from the country when he was 18 months old. Educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939 at the age of 18. In July 1939, he began corresponding with Princess Elizabeth, then aged 13, the elder daughter and heir presumptive of King George VI. During the Second World War, Philip served with distinction in the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets of the Royal Navy. In the summer of 1946, King George VI granted Philip permission to marry Elizabeth, who was then 20. Prior to the official announcement of their engagement in July 1947, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles and styles, became a naturalised British subject, and adopted the surname Mountbatten from his maternal grandparents. In November 1947, he married Elizabeth, was granted the style "His Royal Highness", and was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Following Elizabeth's accession to the throne in 1952, Philip left active naval service, having attained the rank of commander. In 1957, he was formally created a British prince. A keen sportsman, Philip played a significant role in the development of the equestrian discipline of carriage driving. He served as patron, president, or member of more than 780 organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, and was chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, an international youth awards programme for people aged 14 to 24. Philip was the longest-lived male member of the British royal family. He retired from public duties in 2017 at the age of 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements and delivered 5,493 speeches since 1952. He died at Windsor Castle in 2021, aged 99.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife.”

— On marriage, as quoted in "48 of Prince Philip's greatest gaffes and funny moments", The Telegraph (2 August 2017).

“You have mosquitoes. I have the Press.”

— In a 1966 conversation with the matron of a hospital while on a tour of the Caribbean as quoted in Andrew Duncan The Reality of Monarchy (1970).

“Statement of 1966, as quoted in "Long line of princely gaffes", BBC News (1 March 2002)”

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh taken in the Chinese room Buckingham Palace

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Duke of Edinburgh

On June 10 1921, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was born. He is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He is the longest-serving, oldest-ever spouse of a reigning British monarch, and the longest-lived male member of the British royal family. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Prince Philip was born in Greece into the Greek and Danish royal families, but his family was exiled from Greece when he was an infant. After being educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, at the age of 18. From July 1939, he began corresponding with the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth (his third cousin through Queen Victoria, and the elder daughter and heir presumptive of King George VI) whom he had first met in 1934. After the war, Philip was granted permission by George VI to marry Elizabeth. Before the official announcement of their engagement, he abandoned his Greek and Danish royal titles, converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and became a naturalised British subject, adopting the surname Mountbatten, from his maternal grandparents. After an engagement of five months, as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, he married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947. A keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He is a patron of over 800 organisations and chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme for people aged 14 to 24 years. This image of Prince Philip was taken by the National Publicity Studios during the Royal Tour of 1953/1954. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are pictured here in Cambridge, Waikato on January 1 1954. Reference: AAQT 6538 W3537 box 1 (R21434655) For further information please email Research.Archives@dia.govt.nz For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material from Archives New Zealand

18 November 2014, cht.hm/11ieQ9K

Duke of Edinburgh in Car in The Mall, London SW1

Prince Philip's visit to Frankfurt. From the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Germany.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today accompanied Her Majesty The Queen for the official opening of the Queensferry Crossing. The event marked the culmination of six years work to build the structure, involving more than 15,000 people, at a cost of £1.35 billion - £245 million under the original budget. Following a ribbon cutting ceremony on the south side of the bridge, undertaken by Her Majesty, The Queen was accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to an event on the north side where she unveiled a plaque officially declaring the Queensferry Crossing open.

Her Majesty The Queen, M. Manuel Valls, and TRH The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall standing at the start of the service.