Prince Philip — Queen Elizabeth II’s husband — has died after more than 70 years by the monarch’s side. He was 99 years old. His death, which occurred two months before his centennial birthday, was confirmed by Buckingham Palace on Friday, April 9.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was the world’s longest reigning consort, with more than seven decades of public service.
The Duke was well-known for his public gaffes and off-the-cuff comments before retiring from royal duties, due to old age, in 2017.
Prince Philip and the then-princess Elizabeth married at London’s Westminster Abbey in 1947. With the wedding coming so soon after World War II, Elizabeth used ration coupons to buy material for her dress. The then-princess Elizabeth was coronated six years later on June 2, 1953, with her prince by her side.
Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in the House of Glücksburg
The duke was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in the House of Glücksburg, to parents Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, on June 10, 1921.
Aged just 18 months, his family fled Greece fearing political instability which led to his uncle King Constantine I abdicating.
The family were taken to Britain on a Royal Navy ship with the baby prince in a cot made from an orange box.
On becoming a naturalised British citizen, he took on the surname Mountbatten from his uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, which stays with the family to this day.
In 1939, Prince Philip joined the royal navy as a cadet before becoming a sub-lieutenant, then first lieutenant on destroyer HMS Wallace in 1942. He was then first lieutenant of the W-class destroyer, HMS Whelp, which was in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender in 1945.
The duke completed 22,219 solo engagements between 1952 and 2017, when he stepped down from royal duties.
He was patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and once described himself as “the world’s most experienced plaque-unveiler” during an event at Lord’s cricket ground, in London.
Prince Philip had a series of hospital visits including for bladder infections in 2012, 2015 and 2017, as well as a pre-existing condition in 2019. In February, 2021, he was admitted to hospital on advice of his doctor after feeling unwell.
Philip leaves behind four children with Elizabeth, heir to the throne Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
He also has eight grandchildren, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.