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Prince Philip

Philip was born Philippos Prince of Greece and Denmark on the Greek Island of Corfu in 1921. His father was Prince Andrew, younger brother of King Constantine of Greece, and his mother Princess Alice of Battenberg. He is a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria though his mother’s family.

Princess Elizabeth and Philip first met when they attended the wedding of Philip's cousin, Princess Marina of Greece to The Duke of Kent, who was an uncle of Princess Elizabeth, in 1934.

Philip joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and attended Dartmouth college where as a cadet Philip of Greece he showed round then 13 years old Princess Elizabeth. He saw active service in WW2 in the Mediterranean taking part in the Allied invasion of Sicily, and with the British Pacific fleet was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrender was signed. He returned to Britain in 1946 and served as a staff officer at Greenwich Naval College. In 1947 he became a naturalized British subject, and adopted the surname Mountbatten, the anglicized version of his mother’s name of Battenberg. He converted from Greek Orthodox to the Anglican religion, and renounced his allegiance to the Greek crown.

The engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten RN was announced on the 9 July 1947 and they were married in Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. The day before his wedding, King George VI titled his future son-in-law Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich, of Greenwich in the County of London. The ceremony recorded by the BBC was hugely popular and brought a ray of sunshine to the otherwise austere life of post-war Britain. His three surviving sisters who had married German aristocrats were not invited to the wedding. Following their honeymoon the Prince resumed his career in the Navy and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh lived in Malta.

In February 1952 they were in Kenya staying at Tree Tops hotel during a tour of the Commonwealth when news came of the death of the Princess’s father King George VI. They returned to Britain for the Princess to take up her new role as Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip as consort. He resigned from the Royal Navy, and has since supported the Queen for over 60 years, with numerous royal duties, state visits and occasions. Known for his sometimes blunt naval manner and plain speaking, he has fulfilled a difficult role with loyalty and dedication. In addition to his royal duties, the Duke of Edinburgh is also the patron of many organisations, including The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the World Wide Fund for Nature, and until 2011 was Chancellor of both the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh. His interests have included flying, sailing, polo, carriage driving and shooting. He celebrated his 92nd birthday on 10th June 2013 and although he is reducing the number of official engagements he attends he continues to carry out many official duties and engagements in support of the Queen and the many charities and organisations of which is a patron.


Date: 2015-02-03; view: 870


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