The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip passed away in the early hours of Friday, 9th April, 2021 at the age of 99.
Prince Philip was born in 1921 on a kitchen table on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. He was born into Greek and Danish Royal families but his family fled from Corfu in 1922 after his father who was in the Greek army was arrested and charged with treason.
After being educated in France, Germany and United Kingdom, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939 at the age of 18. From July 1939, Prince Philip began corresponding with the 13 year old Princess Elizabeth who he had first met in 1934 but the our break of the war interrupted their romance causing them to carry on their relationship by exchanging letters weekly.
After the war, Philip was granted the permission by King George VI to marry Princess Elizabeth. He wrote “To have been spared in the war, seen victory, to have been given the chance to rest and to re-adjust myself, to have fallen in love completely and u reservedly, makes all one’s personal a d even the world’s trouble seem small and petty
Before the official announcement of his engagement with Princess Elizabeth in July 1947, he abandoned his Greek and Danish titles and styles, became a naturalized British subject and adopted his maternal grandparents surname, Mountbatten.
Here are some of his achievements over his 99 years life:
- He had a pilot’s license.
Prince Philip learny to fly in 1952 and in 1956, he received his helicopter wings with the Navy. Later in 1959 he got his private pilot’s licence. He was the first member of the British Royal Family to fly in and out of Buckingham Palace garden on a helicopter. Before giving up flying in 1997, he accumulated 5956 hours as a pilot in 59 types of aircraft in 44 years.
2. He was the longest-serving consort ever.
Prince Philip served as his wife’s consort 69 years (6 February1952- 9 April 2021) and helped her in making difficult decisions. He showed support for her cause and duties by attending several ceremonies with her and on her behalf. She also made him her Coronation chairman and during the event, he knelt before her and swore to be her “liege man of life and limb.” Although he was mostly seen and not heard, royal supporters say he was the driving force behind the Queen.
3. According to Huffpost, Prince Philip is the author of 14 books including titles such as Men, Machines and Sacred Cows a collection of essays, lectures, and speeches focusing on Science, Technology and Design.
4. He was the first royal to be interviewed on television.
In 1961, he appeared on Panorama a British current affairs show to talk about his involvement with Commonwealth Technical Training Week.
5. He co-founded the World Life Fund.
In 1960, Prince Philip initiated the “Countryside in 1970” conference that resulted in him becoming the first president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He held the role from 1961 to 1982 where he became President Emeritus.
Prince Philip will be laid on Saturday 17 April at the St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
