The United Kingdom and the British royal family were on Friday thrown into mourning following the death of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Philip, who was 99 years old died at the Windsor Castle, a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire on Friday morning.
The Queen who once famously described her husband as her ‘strength and stay’ immediately entered into a mourning period of eight days. The Duke of Edinburgh who holds the record as the longest-serving royal consort in history was married to the Queen for 73 years.
The Queen shared a poignant photo of Prince Philip as she talked of her “deep sorrow” in a heartfelt tribute to her “beloved” husband.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The Prince passed away exactly three weeks and 3 days after he returned on March 16 from his one month stay at King Edward VII’s hospital.
He was admitted to the hospital in central London on 16 February after feeling unwell. He later underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at another London hospital – St Bartholomew’s.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement in March that the duke was discharged “following treatment for an infection and a successful procedure for a pre-existing condition”.
Prince Philip passing will have a profound effect on the monarch in both a personal and official capacity and will also have an impact on the nation. Just as if the Queen had died, News UK, said that the United Kingdom will enter a state of national mourning that is expected to last until the duke’s funeral, which itself may be brought forward due to COVID-19.
Flags around the country will be lowered to half-mast at government buildings and military facilities, with a focus on naval flags, given Prince Philip’s close ties with the Royal Navy.
Two months after Philip announced his retirement in May 2017, The Duke of Edinburgh ended his royal career in August 2017, after completing more than 22,000 solo appearances, spanning seven decades.
His passing comes as the royal family confronts new challenges, most recently the intense publicity that followed the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, from both the U.K. and official royal duties
The following are some things to know about Prince Philip.
Cousin to Queen Elizabeth II
Though marrying relatives is far less common today, Expedia said it was a requirement for most royal families for centuries.
Both Philip and Queen Elizabeth II are great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, Elizabeth by descent from Victoria’s eldest son, King Edward VII, and Philip by descent from Victoria’s second daughter, Princess Alice. Both are also descended from King Christian IX of Denmark.
Then known as Philip Mountbatten, first met his cousin Elizabeth in 1934 at a family wedding. The two are both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
Read Also: Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, dies at 99
The pair married in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, with around 2,000 guests in attendance and another 200 million listening to the ceremony on the radio.
Four children
Philip had four children with Elizabeth: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Through a British Order in Council issued in 1960, descendants of the couple not bearing royal styles and titles can use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which has also been used by some members of the royal family who do hold titles, such as Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
1947
Before the official announcement of Philip and Elizabeth’s engagement in July 1947, the late Prince abandoned his Greek and Danish titles and styles, became a naturalised British subject, and adopted his maternal grandparents’ surname Mountbatten.
Orthodox Church
Though Philip appeared “always to have regarded himself as an Anglican” and he had attended Anglican services with his classmates and relations in England and throughout his Royal Navy days, he had been baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, wanted to “regularise” Philip’s position by officially receiving him into the Church of England,[37] which he did in October 1947
June 1921
Born into the Greek and Danish royal families, Prince Philip was born in Greece on 10 June 1921.
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 British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18. During the Second World War, he served with distinction in the Mediterranean and Pacific Fleets. After the war, Philip was granted permission by George VI to marry Elizabeth.
The Elms
Philip was first educated at The Elms, an American school in Paris run by Donald MacJannet, who described Philip as a “know it all smarty person, but always remarkably polite”.
In 1928, he was sent to the United Kingdom to attend Cheam School, living with his maternal grandmother, Victoria Mountbatten, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, at Kensington Palace and his uncle, George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, at Lynden Manor in Bray, Berkshire.
1952
Philip’s first airborne flying lesson took place in 1952; by his 70th birthday, he had accrued 5,150 pilot hours. He was presented with Royal Air Force wings in 1953. In April 2014, it was reported that an old British Pathe newsreel film had been discovered of Philip’s 1962 two-month flying tour of South America.
Lieutenant
On 1 February 1941, Philip was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant after a series of courses at Portsmouth, in which he gained the top grade in four out of five sections of the qualifying examination.
Among other engagements, he was involved in the battle of Crete and was mentioned in dispatches for his service during the Battle of Cape Matapan, in which he controlled the battleship’s searchlights. He was also awarded the Greek War Cross. Promotion to lieutenant followed on 16 July 1942.
Sports enthusiast
Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He was a patron, president, or member of over 780 organisations, and he served as chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a self-improvement program for young people aged 14 to 24.
His first solo engagement as Duke of Edinburgh was in March 1948 where he presented prizes at the boxing finals of the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs at the Royal Albert Hall.
800 organisations
Philip was a patron of some 800 organisations, particularly focused on the environment, industry, sport, and education. He was president of the National Playing Fields Association (now known as Fields in Trust) for 64 years, from 1947 until his grandson Prince William took over the role in 2013.
He served as UK President of the World Wildlife Fund from 1961 to 1982, international president from 1981, and president emeritus from 1996. In 1952, he became patron of The Industrial Society (since renamed The Work Foundation). Between 1959 and 1965 Prince Philip was the President of BAFTA. He was president of the International Equestrian Federation from 1964 to 1986 and served as chancellor of the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Salford, and Wales.
In 2017, the British Heart Foundation thanked Prince Philip for being its patron for 55 years, during which time, in addition to organising fundraisers, he “supported the creation of nine BHF-funded centres of excellence”. He was an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge.
