Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, has died, aged 99 at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021.  The Duke of Edinburgh was born on June 10, 1921 in the Greek island of Corfu to Prince Andrew and Princess Andrew of Greece (née Princess Alice of Battenberg).  The Duke was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and was a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort on his maternal side; and was the great-grandson of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark, and also the grandson of King Constantine I and Queen Olga of Greece (née Grand Duchess Olga of Russia), on his paternal side.  Prince Philip accompanied his family into exile in the 1920s when they fled to France.  At the age of seven the Prince was sent to be educated at an English Preparatory school in Hampshire, and then Gordonstoun School in Scotland. Prince Philip then entered the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Prince Philip served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War and was awarded the decoration “mentioned in dispatches” for his brave actions in the Battle of Matapan.  The Prince served in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters of the war.  In 1947, he became a naturalized British subject, taking the name Philip Mountbatten, thus relinquishing his Greek/Danish titles.  As Lt. Philip Mountbatten, R.N., he married the heiress presumptive to the British throne, Princess Elizabeth, at Westminster Abbey.  They became the parents of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (b. 1948); Princess Anne, the Princess Royal (b. 1950); Prince Andrew, the Duke of York (b. 1960); and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex (b. 1964).

The Duke of Edinburgh has been a steadfast and loyal support to the Queen and the British and Commonwealth nations throughout most of his long life. In 1956 he founded the Duke of Edinburgh Award which recognizes positive achievements made by young adults to the community.  It has proved to be very successful and has branches in over 140 countries.  In 2017 Prince Philip officially retired from royal duties.  Requiescat in pace.