Prince Philip of Great Britain, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died this Friday, April 9, at the age of 99. See here the facts you should know about his life.
Personal
Date of birth: June 10, 1921
Place of birth: Corfu, Greece
Birth name: Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark
Dad: Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Mother: Princess Alice of Battenburg
Marriage: Queen Elizabeth II (November 20, 1947-present)
Children: Edward, Earl of Wessex (March 10, 1964); Andrés, Duke of York (February 19, 1960); Ana, princess (September 15, 1950); Charles, Prince of Wales (November 14, 1948)
Military: British Royal Navy, 1939-1953
Other facts
His full title is His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron of Greenwich, Knight of the Garter, Knight of the Thistle, Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, Companion of the Order from Australia, Companion to the Queen’s Order of Service, Privy Counselor.
Her ancestry is not Greek by blood, but English, Russian, German / Prussian, and Danish.
Felipe is the youngest of five children and the only child.
He is the third cousin of his wife, the Queen, and like her, he is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. He is also the oldest great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria.
His interests are painting, environmental conservation, horses, flying and sailing. He has written books on birds, the environment, carriage driving, and other topics.
After earning his wings from the RAF in 1953, Felipe logged more than 5,900 hours on 59 different types of aircraft over the next 44 years.
Chronology
1922 – The overthrow of his brother, King Constantine I of Greece, causes Prince Andrew, Princess Alice and their five children to leave Greece and settle in Paris.
1930 – After the separation of his parents in 1930, Felipe is sent to England and raised there by his maternal grandmother and his uncle.
1940 – Serves as a midshipman. His first assignment was on the HMS Ramillies of the Mediterranean Fleet.
1942 – He becomes a second lieutenant in the Royal British Army.
July 1942 – He is promoted to first lieutenant and executive officer aboard HMS Wallace, a destroyer, and participates in the Allied landings in Sicily during World War II.
February 1947 – He becomes a naturalized British citizen and commoner, using the surname Mountbatten, an English translation of his mother’s maiden name. Before taking the British citizenship oath, being sixth in line to the throne of Greece, he renounces all title claims in both Greece and Denmark.
July 10, 1947 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth announce Elizabeth’s engagement to Philip.
November 19, 1947: He is invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter and receives the titles of Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron of Greenwich.
November 20, 1947 – He marries Princess Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey. His name changed from Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
1948 – He is appointed personal assistant to his father-in-law, King George VI.
1950 – He is promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
June 1952: He is promoted to commander, but his naval career ends with the death of King George VI and the accession of his wife to the throne on February 6.
1953 – He is appointed admiral of the fleet, field marshal of the army and marshal of the Royal Air Force. He is appointed presumptive regent by an act of Parliament. In case of death or incapacity of the queen, Felipe would govern as regent of Prince Carlos.
1956 – Launches the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which rewards children for their achievements in personal development and community involvement.
1956-1970 – Serves as President of the Royal Yachting Association.
1957 – By decree of the queen, he is “given the style and titular dignity of a prince of the United Kingdom.” He is invested as Grand Master and First or Chief Knight of the Order of the British Empire. This decree restores his princely birth title.
1961-1981 – First President of the World Wide Fund for Nature – United Kingdom.
1964-1986 – President of the International Equestrian Federation.
June 1968: He is awarded the Order of Merit by the queen, an honor bestowed upon those of “great achievement in the fields of arts, learning, literature and science,” and is restricted to 24 members.
1975-1980 – Serves as President of the Royal Yachting Association for the second time.
1981-1996 – Serves as president of World Wildlife Fund International.
1996-present – President Emeritus of the World Wide Fund for Nature.
April 9, 2005 – Felipe and the queen are the only main members of the Royal Family who do not attend the civil ceremony of the wedding of Carlos and Camilla Parker-Bowles. They attend the dedication service.
November 10, 2005: His 58th wedding anniversary makes him the longest-serving British consort, surpassing King George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte.
October 23, 2006 – Inspects British forces in southern Iraq.
3-8 May 2007 – Philip and the Queen visit the United States for the 400th anniversary of America’s first British settlement at Jamestown in 1607. They attend the Kentucky Derby on May 5 and a state dinner at the White House on May 7.
April 1, 2009 – Along with the queen, he meets with the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and the first lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace.
June 10, 2011 – His 90th birthday makes him the oldest royal consort.
December 23-27, 2011: undergoes treatment for a blocked coronary artery at Papworth Hospital.
June 4-9, 2012 – He is hospitalized for a bladder infection at King Edward VII Hospital in London. Part of the Jubilee celebrations commemorating the Queen’s 60th anniversary on the throne is lost.
August 15-20, 2012: receives treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for a bladder infection.
7-17 June 2013 – He is a patient at the London Clinic, he was admitted for abdominal pain, underwent exploratory surgery the next day and is discharged after his recovery.
January 26, 2015 – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott bestows that nation’s highest honor, Knight of the Order of Australia, on Philip for his life of service throughout the queen’s reign.
May 4, 2017 – Buckingham Palace announces that Felipe will leave public life after August 2017.
August 2, 2017 – He attends a Royal Marines parade at Buckingham Palace, making the last of his thousands of public appearances before retiring from public life.
April 3, 2018: Felipe is admitted to a London hospital to undergo scheduled hip surgery.
January 17, 2019: suffers a car accident when his vehicle collides with another that was carrying two women, 28 and 45 years old, as well as a nine-month-old baby. In a statement the following day, a spokesman said the Duke of Edinburgh had a “preventive checkup” on the advice of a doctor who confirmed that Felipe “had no worrisome injuries. It was later announced that he will not face any charges for the accident.
February 9, 2019: Buckingham Palace announces that Felipe has surrendered his driver’s license after his car accident in January that left a female driver injured.
April 9, 2021: Prince Philip dies at the age of 99.