Prince Philip

Biography

Philip was born on Corfu in 1921 into the Greek and Danish royal families, which were exiled from Greece when he was a baby. He was educated in Paris, at Cheam School in England, at Schule Schloss Salem in Germany and at Gordonstoun in Scotland. He joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and served in the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets during the Second World War.

He gave up his foreign titles, became a British subject with the surname Mountbatten, and married Princess Elizabeth in November 1947, when he was created Duke of Edinburgh. When she became queen in 1952 he left active naval service and became her consort, a role he held for 69 years, longer than any other British royal consort.

He chaired the commission that organised the 1953 coronation, founded the Duke of Edinburgh's Award with Kurt Hahn in 1956, helped found the World Wildlife Fund and served as its president, and was chancellor of the universities of Edinburgh, Salford and Cambridge. He was patron or president of more than 780 organisations. He retired from public duties in 2017 and died at Windsor Castle in 2021, aged 99.