He is someone who does not take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.
HM The Queen on her Golden Wedding Anniversary, 20 November 1997
On 9 April 2021, Buckingham Palace announced the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Two months and one day shy of his hundredth birthday, His Royal Highness lived an extraordinary life which was full of drama, turmoil, love, and devotion – serving his Queen and country for over eighty years.
THE LITTLE-KNOWN YOUTH OF A GREEK & DANISH PRINCE
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born at Mon Repos on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921. He was the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. The Prince was born into both the Greek and Danish Royal Families, the grandson of King George I of Greece, who was born Prince William of Denmark and adopted as King of the Hellenes in 1863, and Great-Grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark, the Father-in-Law of Europe. This made him a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg at his birth. Through his mother he was a great-grandchild of Queen Victoria.
On 27 September 1922, King Constantine I was forced to abdicate after significant losses to Turkish forces in the Greco-Turkish War. With Greece proclaimed a republic, Prince Andrew was banished from Greece in December 1922 and Prince Philip, along with Princess Alice and his sisters, we evacuated on HMS Calypso. The young Prince was carried onto the warship in a cot made of a fruit box.
The family settled in Paris, with Prince Philip moving to the United Kingdom in 1928 to live with his maternal grandmother, Victoria Mountbatten, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, and his uncle, George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven. During this time, his four sisters married German princes while his mother was placed in an asylum after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He moved to Germany in 1933 to be under the care of his sister Cecille.
In Germany, Prince Philip was taught by educator Kurt Hahn. Due to Nazi persecution of Jews, Hahn was forced to flee to the UK where he established Gordonstoun School in Scotland. Princess Anne, the Prince’s second child, commented that he had a nomadic childhood, without a fixed address, and reliant on his schooling at Gordonstoun for some stability.
The Prince was educated in Scotland until 1939 when he left to become a cadet at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth. He returned to live with his mother in Greece briefly before continuing his navy training at the onset of the Second World War. He graduated top of class and was appointed as a midshipman in January 1940.
During the Second World War, Prince Philip served in the Indian Ocean before being transferred to HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean Fleet. He received multiple promotions, being one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy. He was involved in the Invasion of Sicily where he saved his ship, HMS Wallace, from a night bomber attack. He concluded the war serving in the Pacific, being present in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Japanese surrender.
A ROYAL LOVE STORY
Prince Philip met Princess Elizabeth, then heiress presumptive, in 1939. This was during a tour of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. Lord Louis Mountbatten, brother of Princess Alice, arranged for Prince Philip to give Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret a tour of the College. She was only 13 and he was 18, and it was believed that she fell in love with him during this time. From that moment the young royals commenced writing to each other.
In Summer 1946, the Prince asked King George VI for the Princess’s hand in marriage. Permission was granted on the proviso the announcement did not occur until after the Princess’s 21st birthday in April 1947. In order to marry the heir to the throne, the Prince had to renounce his Greek and Danish titles and claims to their respective thrones, along with converting to Anglicanism. He adopted the name and style of Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, with the Mountbatten name coming from his maternal family’s anglicised name (Battenberg became Mountbatten). This was adopted by the family when they relinquished their German titles in 1917 due to World War I.
The royal couple married on 20 November 1947 and the Prince was made Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. The Prince’s mother was in attendance, but it was not suitable for his sisters to attend due to their marriages to prominent Nazis. The couple moved to Clarence House where they would live until the Princess’s accession in 1952. It was during this period the couple’s first two children were born: Prince Charles in 1948, and Princess Anne in 1950. Two more children were born during the Queen’s reign: Prince Andrew in 1960, and Prince Edward in 1964.
“I think the main lesson we have learnt is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient in any happy marriage… You can take it from me, the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.”
Prince Philip on his Golden Wedding Anniversary, 19 November 1997
Prince Philip continued his navy work, being posted to Malta in 1949 as First Lieutenant of HMS Chequers. He was quickly promoted to Lieutenant Commander and took command of HMS Magpie. It is widely reported that the family’s time in Malta was the most tranquil and the closest they would ever get to a quiet life away from their royal duties. This was reflected by former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in his tribute to Prince Philip who had fond memories of his stories about Malta.
WALKING TWO STEPS BEHIND FOR 69 YEARS
Prince Philip planned to continue his naval career while Princess Elizabeth was the heiress presumptive. However, King George VI’s ill health made this difficult, and the family was forced to return to London in 1951. They then undertook royal engagements in Canada and a tour of the Commonwealth. It was during the tour, at Sagana Lodge in Kenya, that the couple were notified of the death of the King. Princess Philip was now in a precarious position, unable to continue his active naval service.
The early days of the Queen’s reign brought some tensions, including disagreements with the Royal Establishment over the Coronation, the running of royal properties, and the forced move to Buckingham Palace from Clarence House. During all these times, he was seen as a modernising force, seeking to televise the coronation and to streamline royal operations at the Palace and other homes. While he succeeded at times, there were key times the Consort was disregarded, such as the change of the family name to Mountbatten. With the change rejected by the Cabinet and senior royals, Prince Philip said:
“I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children.”
A compromise was later approved with the Queen issuing an Order-in-Council to make the family name Mountbatten-Windsor for descendants in the male-line that were not styled as Royal Highness and Prince/Princess (e.g. Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor).
Not all the changes were celebrated or successful. This included the 1969 television program The Royal Family, in which the royals had been filmed and followed for one year. The Queen later regretted this choice and regarded it as being too intrusive. The film was never broadcast again on British televisions but has appeared at times on YouTube. This came at a time of financial difficulty for the UK in which the Royal Family was seen as out-of-touch. Prince Philip added to issues by going on NBC’s Meet the Press, during which he said, “we had a small yacht which we had to sell, and I shall have to give up polo fairly soon.”
Prince Philip undertook various joint and solo royal engagements, while also learning to fly a plane. In 1953/54, the Queen and Prince travelled the Commonwealth on a six-month tour. As part of his duties, he committed himself to philanthropy, being the patron of over 800 organisations and establishing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme in 1956 with Kurt Hahn. As one of his biggest legacies, the DofE Awards now sees young people around the world striving to learn about leadership qualities. As of 2018, more than 1,800 people daily commence their Award journey.
“You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.”
In easing him into his new royal life, the Prince conducted his first major solo tour in 1956/57 when he opened the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne and crossed the Antarctic Circle. This added to doubts over fractures in the royal marriage. There were efforts to try and curtail these doubts, including the Queen granting the Prince the royal title and style of a Prince of the United Kingdom. Before this, he was not able to call himself “Prince Philip”, only “Philip, Duke of Edinburgh”.
The Prince continued to engage in his love of the environment, sport, and education as the Queen’s Consort. This was evident in his work establishing the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1961, of which he became UK President until 1982, International President in 1981, and President Emeritus in 1996.
“The conservation of nature, the proper care for the human environment and a general concern for the long-term future of the whole of our planet are absolutely vital if future generations are to have a chance to enjoy their existence on this earth.”
With the Queen acting in the role as Head of State, Prince Philip turned to managing his family’s personal affairs. While she was the head of an ancient institution, he was still the head of the family unit. This included making decisions about the education of the royal children and eventually he would be instrumental in their marriages. This included encouragement of Prince Charles’s marriage to Lady Diana Spencer. The Prince also doted on his uncle, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was the closest father-figure he had during this period. Prince Philip was left heartbroken when Lord Mountbatten was sadly killed by an IRA bomb on 27 August 1979 while he was on his boat with his family in Mallaghmore, County Sligo.
LATER LIFE
In his later years, the Prince remained a pillar of support to the Queen. He continued public engagements throughout his 80s and 90s, took charge of the rebuilding of Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire, and provided support for his grandchildren after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. He continued his love for Australia, visiting in 2006 for the Commonwealth Games and for the last time in 2011 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth.
However, his age meant that he was required to slow down and reduce his duties. This included various hospitalisations throughout the 2010s, including one during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2013 with crowds in front of Buckingham Palace shouting “Philip”. While he did slow down, he continued to tour the UK, make official visits abroad, and work with his charities and the military on patronages.
On 2 August 2017, at the age of 96, the Duke retired from official royal duties. Since the Queen took the Throne in 1952, he has completed 22,219 solo engagements. Later that year, the Queen and Duke celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Even in retirement he stirred some controversies, including a car crash near the Sandringham Estate after which he surrendered his driving licence.
“[It’s] better to get out before you reach your sell by date. I reckon I’ve done my bit so I can enjoy myself, less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less trying to think of something to say…I’m just sort of winding down.”
The Prince conduced his last public event in July 2020, stepping down as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles. He then received his COVID-19 vaccination on 9 January 2021. A month later, the Prince was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital, staying 28 days for the treatment of an infection and observation of a heart condition.
With many believing the Duke had recovered and with planning for his centenary underway, albeit fuss-free, he passed peacefully on 9 April 2021 at Windsor Castle.
FAMOUS GAFFES
In his passing we need to remember the Prince’s gaffes and quite unique humour – some of which landed the UK in diplomatic trouble and were the subject of joke books.
One of the most infamous statements was when he visited China in 1986, offending the Chinese Government and people on two occasions that year. On a visit with British students, the Duke said, “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed”. To make things worse, at a subsequent WWF event he said, “If it has four legs and it is not a chair, if it has two wings and flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.”
Australia was not exempt from the Duke’s gaffes. In 1992, he refused to hold a koala as he did not want to “catch some ghastly disease.” Ten years later, on another visit to Australia, he asked Indigenous Australians if they still threw spears.
In 2003, he said to the President of Nigeria that he looked like he was “ready for bed” as he was dressed in traditional robes. This was largely denounced in the media at the time for being disrespectful and ignorant of cultural differences.
In his later years he became even more cruder. During a tour of the UK for the Diamond Jubilee, he said he “would get arrested if [he] unzipped that dress”, making reference to a councillor. He said the following year while on engagements that “The Philippines must be half empty as you’re all here running the NHS.”
There are many more quips, including ones even more controversial by today’s standards. These comments, although widely considered now out of place, reflected his attempts to seem relatable and make others feel at ease with meeting members of the Royal Family.
Sometimes, the comments also stated the obvious, including this moment in Thailand in 1991 when he received a conservation award:
“Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species.”
While some may not have appreciated these specific comments, you knew what he thought and felt and gave you clear-cut answers. This bluntness was epitomised in comments made in 2000 to writer Gyles Brandreth in which he mentioned the possibility of the Duke turning 100 which is quite poignant and ironic:
“I cannot imagine anything worse… Bits of me are falling of already.”
OPERATION FORTH BRIDGE
The Prince passed away in the morning of 9 April 2021 at Windsor Castle with the Queen. He was the third longest living royal ever, and longest living male royal.
The Prince’s death would have been reported to the Commonwealth Realm Prime Ministers and members of the Royal Staff with the code “Operation Forth Bridge”, a reference to a UNESCO heritage site in Edinburgh. The Queen has entered eight days of mourning in which she will not sign any state papers or give Royal Assent to legislation. The Union Jack was also lowered to half-mast at Buckingham Palace and throughout the UK, with only the Royal Standard remaining at full-mast as there is always a monarch.
His funeral will be a smaller affair than those of previous consorts, with the last being held 19 years ago for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. He did not want a lot of fuss made about his funeral, opting out of a state funeral. The funeral’s scale has been further reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions. Instead of a service at Westminster Abbey and a procession to London, the mass will occur at Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. His body will not lie in state like other members of the Royal Family. After the funeral, he will be buried at Frogmore Gardens on the Windsor Estate.
The British Government has urged locals to not converge on royal residences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is to protect from spreading the virus. Traditionally, crowds would gather at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other residences to pay tribute and leave flowers for the mourning Royal Family. The most spectacular of these in recent years was at the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, with the amount of flowers left resulting in alterations to the Changing of the Guard and access to Buckingham Palace.
Automatically upon his death, Prince Philip’s titles, including the Dukedom of Edinburgh, were inherited by Prince Charles as the eldest son. In 1999, the Queen announced her intention for Prince Edward to be created Duke of Edinburgh after his father’s death. This may not occur until Prince Charles takes the throne and the Dukedom is absorbed into the Crown.
The Royal Family will now need to sort out the patronages of the late Prince. The last time a major loss of patronages occurred was when Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother died in quick succession in early-2002. This will require major international efforts, with the Prince having around 50 patronages in Australia alone.
Responses throughout the Commonwealth will vary. This will depend on the decisions of each government, with the 16 Commonwealth Realms likely to enter an official period of state mourning, with flags at half-mast, leaders wearing black clothing and armbands, and some reduction in political activities. Memorial services will also be organised by Anglican churches throughout the UK, Australia, and around the world. The Australian Government has also organised a virtual condolence book which can be accessed here.
CONCLUSION
The Prince lived an extraordinary life. Born in Greece, he had a childhood of constant change and little stability. When asked about the difficulties he experienced, he said “I just had to get on with it. You do. One does.” It was this will and stamina that led him to become a force of determination and pillar of support for the entire Royal Family. We should not also forget the Prince’s philanthropy and his work for the Commonwealth, visiting Australia more than the Queen.
The Royal Family has lost one of its strongest members. Although having retired in 2017, he remained a symbol of a now fleeting generation that saw war and recovery.
99 years of life. Over 80 years of public service. 73 years of marriage. 69 years a Consort. A life well lived.
