Familypedia
Don't have an account?
Register
Familypedia
Advertisement
Register
in: Mountbatten (surname), Born in 1921, Died in 2021,
and 65 more

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021)

Edit with form

  • 1952-2021: Consort of the British Monarch
  • Longest serving royal consort in history
  • 1952-2021: 1st Duke of Edinburgh
  • Prince Philip Mountbatten
  • 1939-1945: Officer in the British Navy
  • Danish and Greek Royal Family Line
  • House of Oldenburg

Biography

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Edinburgh, was born 10 June 1921 in Corfu, Greece to Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882-1944) and Alice Mountbatten (1885-1969) and died 9 April 2021 Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom of old age. He married Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1926-2022) 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey, London, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten), 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. 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.

Marriage to a British Princess

In 1939 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. During the visit, the Queen and Lord Louis Mountbatten asked his nephew Philip to escort the royal couple's daughters, 13-year-old Elizabeth and 9-year-old Margaret, who were Philip's third cousins through Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark. Philip and Elizabeth had first met as children in 1934 at the wedding of Elizabeth's uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent, to Philip's first cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. After their 1939 meeting, Elizabeth fell in love with Philip, and they began to exchange letters.

Eventually, in the summer of 1946, Philip asked George VI for his daughter's hand in marriage. The King granted his request, provided that any formal engagement be delayed until Elizabeth's 21st birthday the following April. By March 1947, Philip had adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother's family and had stopped using his Greek and Danish royal titles upon becoming a naturalised British subject. The engagement was announced to the public on 9 July 1947.

Issue

  1. Charles III of the United Kingdom (1948-) - currently serving British royal monarch
  2. Anne, Princess Royal (1950)
  3. Andrew, Duke of York (1960)
  4. Edward, Earl of Wessex (1964)


Children


Offspring of Philip Mountbatten and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1926-2022)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Charles III of the United Kingdom (1948-) 14 November 1948 Westminster, Greater London, England, United Kingdom Diana Frances Spencer, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)
Camilla Rosemary Shand (1947)
Anne, Princess Royal (1950) 15 August 1950 Clarence House, London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (1948)
Timothy James Hamilton Laurence (1955)
Andrew, Duke of York (1960) 19 February 1960 Belgian Suite, Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom Sarah Margaret Ferguson (1959-)
Edward, Earl of Wessex (1964) 10 March 1964 Buckingham Palace, Greater London, England, United Kingdom Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones (1965-)



Siblings


Offspring of Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882-1944) and Alice Mountbatten (1885-1969)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Margarita of Greece and Denmark (1905-1981) 18 April 1905 Royal Palace, Athens, Greece 24 April 1981 Bad Wiessee, Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany Gottfried Hermann Alfred zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1897-1960)
Theodora of Greece and Denmark (1906-1969) 30 May 1906 Old Royal Palace, Athens, Attica, Greece 16 October 1969 Konstanz, Konstanz, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany Berthold Friedrich von Baden (1906-1963)
Cecilie of Greece and Denmark (1911-1937) 22 June 1911 Athens, Attica, Greece 16 November 1937 Oostende, Oostende, West Flanders, Belgium Georg Donatus von Hesse-Darmstadt (1906-1937)
Sophie of Greece and Denmark (1914-2001) 26 June 1914 Villa Mon-Repos, Corfu, Kerkira, Ionian Islands, Greece 24 November 2001 Schilersee, Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany Christopher Ernst August von Hessen (1901-1943)
George WIlhelm of Hanover (1915-2006)
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) 10 June 1921 Corfu, Greece 9 April 2021 Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1926-2022)


Notable Descendants

Notable Ancestors

See Also


References


Further reading

Footnotes (including sources)

‡ General


Authority control
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement