Royal Profile: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on June 10, 1921. He was the youngest child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Prince Andrew was a son of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Czar Nicholas I. Princess Alice, meanwhile, was a daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.  

The early life of Prince Philip was marked by hardship and tragedies. Born to a family which was, by royal standards, on the brink of poverty, Prince Philip lived a homeless existence from childhood until his growing up years. His life was  filled with struggles, the endless search for a home, and the determination to remain steadfast despite the changes of time and his uneasy relationship with the press, who always criticized, if not mocked him, for his straight-forward attitude and acerbic frankness. In the end, Prince Philip's dedication to his duty to the Crown and for his devotion to the queen, not to mention his wicked wit, have all endeared him to generations of Britons and followers of the British Royal Family around the world. 

Princess Andrew of Greece with the baby Prince Philip.

One housekeeper once remarked that Prince Philip’s family "were as poor as a church mice." Agnes Blower, who served the prince’s family, said this when she first allowed a reporter to inspect her photograph album in 1962. Preparations for the birth of Prince Philip were modest enough. The local doctor was summoned to attend the delivery. He soon decided that Alice’s bedroom in the villa Mon Repos was not suitable for the birth, so he bodily carried her downstairs, and put her on the large diningroom table. Apparently, Alice’s high state of anxiety, double intensified by Andrew having recently left on active service, rendered the table more suitable than a bed-though the medical reasons for this decision were not entirely clear.

Assisted by Nurse Roose, and with her two elder daughters, Margareta and Theodora, age 16 and 15, available to help, Alice gave birth to a healthy, well-formed boy, with tiny wisps of very fair hair. This successful delivery was certainly the first, and the very probably last, time that a future consort to the British monarch has been born on a diningroom table. At the very least, it offers us an interesting contrast with the more luxurious circumstances of the births of Philip’s own children.

A young Prince Philip with mom Princess Andrew.

The birth of the boy brought joy to Prince Andrew and as something of a relief to the Greek royal family in which female progeny had recently heavily outnumbered male offspring. Not only did Andrew now have a son and an heir, but Philip immediately became sixth in line of succession to the Greek throne. Since the Julian calendar was still in force in Greece, the actual date of Prince Philip’s birth, as stated, was May 28, 1921. Only when Greece adopted the Gregorian calendar two years later was the date amended –put forward 13 days—to June 10, which has ever since been Prince Philip’s official birthday.

Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, played no part in his son’s adolescence. She suffered a breakdown, which was believed to be triggered by her menopause, and was sent for treatment in Vienna, Berlin and later on Switzerland. Philip was sent to Britain, where he shuttled back and forth in the homes of his relations. His father, meanwhile, Andrew settled in the south of France where he lived with his mistress Countess Andrée de la Bigne. By 1931, his sisters had married off to German royalty: Princess Sophie to Prince Christopher of Hesse; Princess Theodora to Berthold, Margrave of Baden; and Cecile to George Donatus, Grand Duke of Hesse. With no one to look after him, Prince Philip was sent for preparatory education to Cheam , then to Schloss Salem in Germany, before he proceeded to Gordonstoun. After Gordonstoun, Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy in 1939, where he graduated from the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, as the top cadet in his course in 1940.

Prince Philip shortly after World War II.

The prince went on active service during World War II. In 1940, he was commissioned as a midshipman of the HMS Ramillies, which defended convoys of the Australian Expeditionary Force in the Indian Ocean, transferring to HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean following Italy’s invasion of Greece in 1940. He rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1942, and later first lieutenant of HMS Wallace, becoming one of the youngest in the Royal Navy, where he was second in command at the time the ship joined in the invasion of Sicily, in July 1943. He eventually saved the ship from a night bomber attack. The following year, he was transferred to HMS Whelp, which was part of the British Pacific Fleet in the 27th Destroyer Flotilla. The prince was in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrender, ending the war in the Pacific.

Prince Philip and then-Princess Elizabeth first met in 1939, when King George VI, who was then on a tour at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth with Queen Elizabeth, and Philip’s uncle Earl Mountbatten, asked him to escort Elizabeth and her sister Margaret. Elizabeth easily fell in love with Philip and they started to exchange letters.

Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth shortly after their engagement.

Prince Philip was 25 when he returned to England in 1946, a handsome, experienced naval officer, who was intensely attractive to women. That summer, Philip sought for the princess’ hands. King George VI granted his request, although their engagement did not take place until Elizabeth turned 21.

One of the heated discussions then was Prince Philip’s naturalization as a British subject and the following controversy as to what his new name would be. The family name of the Danish Royal House,  which his father descended from, was Schleswig-Holstein-Sondenburg-Glucksberg. It was not just an absolute tongue-twisting name, but also utterly foreign and German, thus, defeating the purpose of his nationalization. The College of Heralds suggested that he take instead the name Oldcastle. In the end, it was agreed that he take the Anglicized name of his mother, Mountbatten. On March 18, Prince Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles and simply became known as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, RN. It was only later that it was discovered that the whole naturalization process had been entirely unnecessary, since, as a descendant of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, he was and had been, de facto, a British subject.

The engagement was made known to the public on July 10, 1947. Three days before their wedding, King George VI granted Philip the style Royal Highness. On their wedding day, the king created him Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich of Greenwich. Their marriage, held at Westminster Abbey, was recorded and broadcast by BBC radio to 200 million people around the world. Because anti-German sentiments following World War II was still high, it was decided that the royal family’s German relations, including Philip’s three sisters who married into German husbands and Nazi sympathizers, should be invited.

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Elizabeth on their wedding day.

The couple took up residence at Clarence House. Their first two children were born: Prince Charles in 1948 and Princess Anne in 1950. Two more would follow: Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.

Prince Philip immediately resumed his naval career after their wedding. He was promoted lieutenant commander in 1950 and commander in 1952 before he retired from service to assume a more active role as consort to the sovereign. The couple has just embarked on a Commonwealth tour in January 1952 when news of King George VI’s death reached them in Kenya on February 6. Philip told the new queen of the king’s death at Sagana Lodge, cutting their trip short.

The accession of Elizabeth to the throne brought in the issue of what to call the royal house. Lord Mountbatten backed the idea of the name House of Mountbatten, however, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, Queen Mary, objected and informed the Prime Minister Winston Churchill that the royal house  should remain as House of Windsor. "I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children,” the duke was said to have complained privately.

In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II elevated the duke’s status as Prince of the United Kingdom and has since then been known as "His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh." In 1960, with Queen Mary dead and Churchill no longer prime minister, the queen declared that male-line descendants of the duke and the queen who are not styled as Royal Highness, or titled as Prince or Princess, would bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor. Likewise, the queen made clear the duke's position in the court. He was to have "place, pre-eminence and precedence" next to her "on all occasions and in all meetings, except where otherwise provided by Act of Parliament".

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip--the official portrait on the 
occasion of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Until his retirement in 2017, Prince Philip was a companion to Queen Elizabeth II on all her engagements, tours and state visits, while actively supporting advocacies and causes that are close to his heart. At the start of the queen's reign,  the couple embarked on the Commonwealth World Tour, beginning November 1953 until May 1954, where the duke accompanied his wife on the longest and most extensive trip of her reign, one that brought them to farflung corners of the Commonwealth nations. 

The prince has been with the queen in every significant milestone of her long reign. He was with her to celebrate her anniversaries on the throne, like the queen's silver, golden and diamond jubilees in 1977, 2002 and 2012, respectively. He was her constant support when things became tough for the Royal Family, like the marital problems of their children. His strength of character was  an anchor that kept the House of Windsor at bay and the queen had publicly admitted this many times. "He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and 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," the queen said during a speech at Banqueting House in London to celebrate the golden jubilee of their wedding in November 1997.

A few years later, during her Golden Jubilee Speech at the Guildhall in June 2002, the queen said: "The Duke of Edinburgh has made an invaluable contribution to my life over these past fifty years, as he has to so many charities and organisations with which he has been involved."  

Queen Elizabeth once again mentioned the prince as her source of strength on her Diamond Jubilee address to Parliament in March 2012: "Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide."    

The Duke of Edinburgh's advocacies are extensive and far-reaching. In 1956, together with Kurt Hahn, Prince Philip launched the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which gives young people "a sense of responsibility to themselves and their communities". He also served as patron or president of some 800 organizations, particularly those that advocate scientific and technological research and development, sport, youth, environment. As an advocate of industry, the prince has toured and visited coalmines and factories, engineering works and industrial plants with the aim of supporting the constant development and improvement of British industrial life. His concern for the environment could never be disregarded. He has embarked on a trip to Antarctica and the South Atlantic in 1956-1957,  and has exerted extra effort in spreading awareness on the need for humanity to care for the environment. 

In June 2011, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, announced his intention to reduce his duties, stating that he had "done [his] bit." As a 90th birthday gift, Queen Elizabeth II declared him Lord High Admiral. In 2017, as he turned 96, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip will step down from his royal duties.   In the Pacific island-nation of Vanuatu, news of his retirement stirred the locals of a remote village, who feared that his retirement would cause them bad luck. The villagers prayed to the Duke of Edinburgh, believing he is the son of a local mountain god.  

At the time of his retirement, he made a total of 22,191 solo engagements and 637 solo overseas visits, gave 5,493 speeches, supported 785 organizations, presented 54 colours, received 32 service appointments, and authored 14 books. He nevertheless attended family-related engagements, like the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and  that of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, both in 2018, and Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston in 2019. Despite the coronavirus restrictions, he and the queen also attended the intimate nuptials of Princess Beatrice and Count Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020. 

Prince Philip spent his retirement in Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate, away from the prying eyes of the press. He enjoyed the quiet farm life and spent his time reading, painting watercolours and inviting friends to stay.  The queen occasionally visited him and their time together at Wood Farm was the closest they could get to a normal life. 

When the nation was placed under lockdown at the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, the prince was whisked away to Windsor Castle where he and the queen were reunited and spent their days in isolation. The couple were, however, able to travel to Balmoral, although their end-of-summer stay at the Scottish estate was cut short before they moved to Sandringham and then back to Windsor Castle. 

On January 9, 2021, Philip and the queen were vaccinated against COVID-19  but on February 16, he was rushed to King Edward VII's Hospital where he was treated for an infection. He was transferred to St Bartholomew's Hospital on March 1 where he continued with his treatment related to a pre-existing heart condition.  He underwent a successful procedure on March 3 before he was moved back to King Edward VII's Hospital on March 5 until he was discharged on March 16. 

Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021. He was ninety-nine, two months shy of his 100th birthday. He passed away peacefully in the castle where his mother was born a lifetime ago.  Prince Philip was the longest-serving  royal consort in British history.  

*Updated April 10, 2021