Philip, Prince (1921-2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. His full title was His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich.
Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. His father, Prince Andrew of Greece, was the fourth son of King George I of Greece. Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Britain and the sister of the British military leader Louis Mountbatten.
Philip was educated in France, Germany, and Britain. He attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland and the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. During World War II (1939-1945), he served as a lieutenant in the British Navy with the Mediterranean and the Pacific fleets.
In 1947, Philip gave up his succession to the throne of Greece. He became a British citizen, taking Mountbatten for his last name. He married Princess Elizabeth on Nov. 20, 1947. Her father, King George VI, made Mountbatten Duke of Edinburgh the day before the wedding. Elizabeth became queen in 1952. In 1957, she gave her husband the title of Prince of the United Kingdom. The couple had four children (see Elizabeth II ).
As prince consort (husband of the queen), Prince Philip had no formal role in government. For many decades, however, he performed public duties in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations as a representative of the British Crown. He also accompanied Queen Elizabeth on tours and visits.
Prince Philip’s interests included technological research and industry, especially their effect on living conditions and the environment. From 1961 to 1982, he served as the president of the British branch of the World Wildlife Fund (now the World Wide Fund for Nature). From 1981 to 1996, he was the group’s international president. Prince Philip, a well-known public speaker, published collections of his speeches, including Down to Earth (1988). He also enjoyed boating and flying. Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021.
