Prince Philip: memorable moments and interesting facts about his extraordinary life

By Carly Roberts
Published 9th Apr 2021, 16:08 BST
The former World Wildlife Fund (WWF) president The Duke of Edinburgh pictured presenting the president of Mexico, Dr. Ernesto Zedillo, with a WWF 'Gift to the Earth' award in 1998 after the Mexican wildfires. (Getty)The former World Wildlife Fund (WWF) president The Duke of Edinburgh pictured presenting the president of Mexico, Dr. Ernesto Zedillo, with a WWF 'Gift to the Earth' award in 1998 after the Mexican wildfires. (Getty)
The former World Wildlife Fund (WWF) president The Duke of Edinburgh pictured presenting the president of Mexico, Dr. Ernesto Zedillo, with a WWF 'Gift to the Earth' award in 1998 after the Mexican wildfires. (Getty)

Prince Philip has died at the age of 99, just two months before his 100th birthday, it has been announced by Buckingham Palace.

As the country’s longest serving consort, the Duke of Edinburgh dedicated decades of his life to royal duty, serving the nation at the monarch’s side.

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Prince Philip was approaching 100 and had been married to Queen Elizabeth II since 1947.

Here are some interesting facts and memorable moments about the Duke of Edinburgh you might not have heard.

Early life

Prince Philip was born at the villa Mon Repos, the summer retreat of the Greek royal family, on the island of Corfu in 1921, on 10 June.

He was the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and his mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, which meant that he held the title of Prince of Greece and Denmark.

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Prince Philip left Greece at 18 months old, where he and his family escaped to Great Britain after political turmoil caused his uncle, King Constantine I of Greece, to abdicate the Greek throne.

On 28 February 1947, Prince Philip renounced his right to the Greek and Danish thrones and took his mother’s surname, Mountbatten.

His father’s family name had been Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Royal Navy service

In 1939, aged 17, Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy and served on a number of British warships in the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian and Pacific oceans during World War II.

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His first naval appointment was at age 18, as a midshipman to HMS Ramillies. He then joined HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean Fleet.

Towards the end of World War II, Prince Philip served on the destroyer HMS Whelp in the Pacific, and was present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945.

His active naval career ended in July 1951.

Queen Elizabeth II is his distant cousin

In 1947, Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth announced their engagement. Four months later, on 20 November, they were married in Westminster Abbey.

The two royals are actually third cousins – they both share the same bloodline and are directly related to Queen Victoria.