HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921. He was the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece, grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark and great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. His mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg. During World War I the family changed its name to Mountbatten, and Prince Philip adopted the name Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject and renounced his Royal title in 1947.

Prince Philip turned 18 in 1939, and was on active service in the Royal Navy throughout World War II. His first naval appointment was as a midshipman to HMS Ramillies, which escorted the first contingents of the Allied Expeditionary Force from Australia to Egypt. Towards the end of the war he served on the destroyer HMS Whelp, and was present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945. Following the war and his marriage, he ceased active naval appointments, but was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in 1953, and was made Field Marshal of the Army and Marshal of the Royal Air Force; he held 42 Service appointments in total.

Prince Philip married the future Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. The Queen and Prince Philip share Queen Victoria as great-great-grandmother, and are also related through the Duke's paternal grandfather, King George I of Greece, who was Queen Alexandra's brother. The Royal couple had four children: Prince Charles, now HM King Charles III, born in 1948; Princess Anne, now The Princess Royal, in 1950; Prince Andrew, now the Duke of York, born in 1960; and Prince Edward, now the Earl of Wessex, born in 1964. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were the first children to be born to a reigning British monarch since Queen Victoria's reign.

Prince Philip was only the fifth consort to a reigning queen in British history, and was its the longest-serving consort. He accompanied the Queen on all of her overseas tours, including many visits to Australia, and fulfiled a broad range of public duties until he retired from public life at the age of 96. He was keenly interested in environmental issues, science and technology, and was a prolific writer on environmental, technological, equestrian and animal subjects. He founded The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and International Award to introduce young people to new experiences, including physical, skills-based and community challenges. Some 74 other prizes and medals are associated with the Duke of Edinburgh.

HRH Prince Philip passed away on 9 April 2021, two months before he turned 100.

Prince Philip is represented in Museums Victoria's collections in photographs, medals and coins, and mementoes of his stay with Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II at O'Shannassy Quarters, in the Yarra Ranges, 6-8 March 1954.

References

Royal Family website http://www.royal.gov.uk

 

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