| Prince Philip | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Edinburgh | |
 Portrait by Allan Warren, 1992 | |
| Consort of the British monarch | |
| Tenure | 6 February 1952 – 9 April 2021 |
| Born | Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark 10 June 1921[fn 1] Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece |
| Died | 9 April 2021 (aged 99) Windsor Castle, Windsor, England |
| Burial | 17 April 2021 Royal Vault, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 19 September 2022King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel |
| Spouse | |
| Issue Detail | |
| House |
|
| Father | Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark |
| Mother | Princess Alice of Battenberg |
| Signature |  |
| Education | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | |
| Years of active service | 1939–1952 |
| Rank | Full list |
| Commands | HMS Magpie |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark,[1] later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921[fn 1] – 9 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from his wife's accession on 6 February 1952 until his death in 2021, making him the longest-serving royal consort in history.
Philip was born in Greece into the Greek and Danish royal families; his family was exiled from the country when he was eighteen months old. After being educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939, when he was 18 years old. In July 1939, Philip began corresponding with the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the elder daughter and heir presumptive of King George VI. During the Second World War, he served with distinction in the British Mediterranean and Pacific fleets.
In the summer of 1946, the King granted Philip permission to marry Elizabeth, then aged 20. Before the official announcement of their engagement in July 1947, Philip stopped using his Greek and Danish royal titles and styles, became a naturalised British subject, and adopted his maternal grandparents' surname Mountbatten. 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. Philip left active military service when Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952, having reached the rank of commander. In 1957, he was created a British prince. Philip had four children with Elizabeth: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
A sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He was patron, president, or member of over 780 organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, and served as chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, a youth awards programme for people aged 14 to 24.[2] Philip is the longest-lived male member of the British royal family. He retired from royal duties in 2017, aged 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements and 5,493 speeches since 1952, and died at the age of 99 at Windsor Castle.
Cite error: There are <ref group=fn> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=fn}} template (see the help page).
- ^
- "Early life and education", The Royal Family, 2 March 2017, archived from the original on 9 April 2021, retrieved 9 April 2021;
- "His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh", Canadian Heritage, archived from the original on 17 March 2012, retrieved 10 June 2011;
- Ward, Victoria (10 June 2011), "Prince Philip's 90th birthday: a life less ordinary for The Duke of Edinburgh", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 13 June 2011, retrieved 12 April 2021;
- "The life and times of the Royal Consort", Sky News, 10 June 2011, archived from the original on 16 October 2012, retrieved 10 June 2011;
- Low, Valentine (9 April 2021), "Prince Philip was a man determined to make an impact", The Times, archived from the original on 13 April 2021, retrieved 12 April 2021
- ^ "Do your DofE", The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, archived from the original on 29 January 2019, retrieved 29 January 2019