Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, has died aged 99.

Buckingham Palace said:

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”

Prince Philip was born on June 21, 1921, in Greece, although his family were exiled from the country while he was an infant. A member of the Greek and Danish royal families, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18, after being educated in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. That same July, he began corresponding with Princess Elizabeth.

He served in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World War, serving with distinction in the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets.

After the war, King George VI granted him permission to marry Elizabeth. Before their engagement was officially announced in July 1947, he gave up his Greek and Danish royal titles, became a naturalised British subject, and took on the surname of his maternal grandparents – Mountbatten. He was given a title, the Duke of Edinburgh, and he married Elizabeth, then still a princess, on November, 20, 1947.

 

 

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

83 COMMENTS

  9. Amazing life. Fighting the Nazis in the RN and 74 years married to HMQ. Long live Prince Philip’s memory.

    • Indeed last of the few to see active service in WW2 saving the country. There is a lesson there for everyone in service to one’s country. A excellent example of public service and one that I hope future Royals will try to emulate. I feel for the Queen to have lost her partner and companion. RIP Prince Philip.

      • not just for the royals but the public as well. he sets a standard that every brit must try and achieve in his or her lifetime.

  10. RIP. Anyone know their preference on how best to pay our respects? I imagine an announcement will come out around this, I only ask in case anyone has already got wind of it.

    • When the Queen Mothers coffin was lying in state in Westminster I queued for 7 hours to file past briefly, back of queue was at Southbank Hungerford Bridge.
      HCMR and some other royals stood honour guard around it.

      I guess something similar this time.

      God help us when HM passes.

      • Yeah, life won’t be the same. I much prefer a queen than a king, and look who we have to take her place.

        I remember queuing to see Lenin’s body in Moscow. The guard in their made a gesture that I had to stop smiling before I could go further.

    • The Royal Family are asking people not to gather at Royal Palaces to lay flowers to stop it spreading Covid.

      Churches are being encouraged to ring their bells 99 times.

      • Such a shame if they prevent any sort of public support due to covid. Jolly good effort on queuing up for 7 hours, salt of the earth stuff. I hope they do have something similar but with Covid I think it sadly unlikely. I imagine there will be books of condolence.

        • It has, but unfortunately we’ve got to wait for the petition to be verified and published before it can progress any further. Irritating, but regardless thank you for the signature!

  11. RIP Prince Philip, thank you for being a part of my life and that of my mother and farther and late brother. You were an outstanding example to so many both young and old. As the old order slip away, we must remember them with prided and honour.

  12. RIP – Great honour of serving on HMS Boxer when you visited her in the Gambia in 1985 as Royal escort ship. Our thoughts are with Her Majesty and the rest of the Royal Family at this very sad time.

  13. A moving tribute from Boris, I’d like to think on behalf of the nation. He was mentioned in dispatches and it would seem helped save his ship on one occasion.
    I’m sorry he could not get to 100.

    • Yes, a brave and capable man. Apparently he was one of the youngest first lieutenants, at 21, in the RN and came up with a cunning plan to decoy a night bombing raid from the V&W class destroyer HMS Wallace. He was also on HMS Valiant at the Battle of Cape Matapan and later when she was bombed off Crete.

      His contribution as Consort to the Queen is considerable. A sad day for Her Majesty and his family.

      RIP Philip. Well played, sir!

  14. I can see by the messages here it’s all been said already, but a man like many others who did their bit when it was required, but also someone who gave the rest of his life to public service and a man who supported his wife in her duties of queen. Always had my total respect and reminds me of my dad in that very Edwardian attitude. RIP sir.

  15. It is very sad that we are losing that great wartime (WW2) generation. My father died 5 years ago. He had managed to be in the Polish, French & British armies during WW2. One of his Dundee friends had been in the RAF in Burma & would never get on a plane after his Dakota was shot up & had to limp back with pieces coming off while flying over jungle. Another Surrey friend had been in Artillery. His family never knew he had been mentioned in dispatches until he died & they went through his papers.
    So God bless that wartime generation.

  16. Goodbye to the Colonel in Chief.

    Met him about 15 years ago at St James’, very, very clued up on Defence Projects, F35 in particular, and had a very in depth conversation about it as a result.

    DoE scheme a hell of a legacy too, I really enjoyed doing it.

  20. A good age, a good life and seeing your great grandchildren. A loss to his family but also a life to be celebrated.

  21. Don’t get me wrong, HRH Prince Philip was a good guy. We have a wonderful Queen and the the Duke of Edinburgh’s Scheme is great; both of which we can thank him for BUT why have we got this media feeding frenzy over a 99 year old man dying?

    So it’s lunch time and I’m listening to Radio 4X, happens to be Dad’s Army, we are in the Rock Emporium being briefed by Capt Mainwaring on where the Lewis Gun will go when all of a sudden the radio goes silent and we are handed over to the news room for an ‘urgent announcement.’ Now I’m thinking Putin’s missiles are inbound or that N Korea has gone even more mad. No, turns out a 99 year old man with heart disease has passed away. Now best of luck to HM the Queen and the good Prince but the media really don’t need to go in for end of the world reporting like this.

    • You’ll get into trouble voicing opinions like that on here Rob. Mind you, Philp was a straight talking no nonsense sort of guy that hated sycophancy….I imagine that he would have despised the fuss and the fawning of the well intentioned but endless well-wishers. As he was claimed to have said to an intrusive boom-mike operator….shove the bloody thing up your backside!

      • I meant no disrespect and was just commenting on the media. I suspect that Prince Philip may have felt the same way.

        • That’s my point Rob…he would have hated it. And I wouldn’t worry about offending anyone with your views…being offended is the new national past-time!

        • I agree Rob, and I’m a proud Monarchist.
          We were set up yesterday evening for the final of Masterchef!!! All scheduling cancelled on all 3 main channels. Fair enough maybe keep this to BBC1 and ITV but move M Chef over to BBC2!!

    • I suspect considering the troubles he faced entering the firm, his family troubles and the petty prejudice he suffered because of his heritage Philip may very well understood what Megan has been going through.

    • Good call. However by then we will already have an HMS Edinburgh (a T26) so maybe HMS Prince Philip or maybe another ship name the Prince served upon.

      • Just looked it up on Wiki. They say Prince Philip served on HMS Ramillies, Kent, Shropshire, Valiant, Wallace, Whelp, Chequers, Magpie. Valiant will be used on a new Trident boat, but the others are available.

        • Maybe Valiant but dedicated to his service? I think he would have hated it being dedicated to him as a person.

          It would seem a suitable gesture as it is the closest thing we have to a full on cruiser these days?

          I hold Prince Philip in very, very high regard but I do have to question the BBC’s approach to the coverage. The approach would seem to be about four decades out of date. It wouldn’t surprise me if the BBC ‘protocol’ was done on carbon flimsies, by guys with Brill Cream, and locked in a safe somewhere till now!

          It is a real shame there does not seem to have been any streaming of the salute fired from any of the RN ships? Or did I miss links anywhere?

          RIP a life of great service to your country and an inspiration.

  25. I would like to think that his sense of duty, his respect for people of all races and social classes and his commitment to his country will be reflected in the actions of our young people as they return to the real world after lock down. R.I.P. Sir Well done.

  28. I’m American, but I can recognize a great Brit when I see one. He fought the Nazi while a young man when he could have taken an easier way. Wish he had made it to a 100.

  29. Sad beyond words. Wife in tears and she was born here in SA! As some of you have remarked, he was just another older man and maybe some of the reaction is over the top for some people but for me he represents the passing of an era. Particularly touched by the PM’s of Aus and NZ both dressed in black, talking of him with great affection. My son on my shoulders and I saw him with the Queen(and Douglas Hurd in tow) in Durban during their post 1994 visit. A moment to remember.
    Union Jack at Half Mast outside our house today.
    RIP

    • ‘The passing of an era….yes I think that captures it. If not a passing, then a drawing to a close. When the present monarch passes on it really will be the end of an era!, I think things might unravel quite quickly for Britain and it is going to take good leadership to steady the ship. We may well see formally strong family links with the likes of Australia and New Zealand diminished as they move towards republican status. We have become a much more divided country than we were in the 50s. Yes, there were huge class differences then, but the fault lines are more apparent now. I don’t envy whoever is PM when this happens….maybe it would be the time to bring the monarchy to a close?

      • Hi Herodotus. One essential move not only to retain our strong links with the remaining Commonwealth Realms but in preserving the Monarchy itself, would be for William to leapfrog Charles and take over as Monarch. I still believe the Monarchy is a valuable institution to be retained and treasured. There are few to match it’s 1000 year link with history. Certainly needs slimming down though including ditching the Sussexes. William and Kate bring a freshness and modernity that will go a long way to preserving it and it’s future.

        • I would agree with most of that, but I think that the present monarch should retire and allow William & Kate a smooth hand-over. The monarchy, as an institution, needs to be managed effectively if it is to stay relevant in the C21st. Waiting for the present Queen to die will create uncertainty and instability. The PM needs to grasp this issue and reform the monarchy, and other institutions (House of Lords), as a major post-covid initiative. We can’t afford for Britain to be blown about by events!

          • Indeed and whilst the PM is at it, he needs to look at the issues of Flags,Anthems and National Symbols of the UK. At present a total mess.
            On subject, again for me Prince Philip is a symbol of much that I cherish.”There is no wrong side nor right side,no side of the Angels and none that Devils can call their very own”
            Much truth in what Rod McKuen says and yet I cherish the nobility in the broad sense of that words meaning, about Britishness. Not I hasten to add in any National Front sense, but you will know what I mean.
            The most noble fight of all time was us and allies against pure evil in the form of Hitler. All of this encapsulated in the Battle of Britain.
            Listen to these two o You Tube- Spitfire Soundtrack teaser Chris Roe and Battle of Britain Theme.
            Shining Knights in White Armour

          • Yes, I am afraid that the sort of unthinking jingoism that is unleashed by the tabloids and latched onto by the general public is utterly vile. I remember the fleet returning from the Falklands (I had just returned from the middle-east) and a woman waving a Union Jack appeared and said…’oh I feel British again’. So 2000 men had to die madam!

            I am not a fan of national anthems, some are so bloody naff, but England ought to have it’s own anthem. William Blake’s exhortation for England to be a better country and strive for justice is surely timeless…’and build Jerusalem here’.

            I know what you mean about a sense of what it means to be British….it is almost indefinable, almost a feeling that has been handed down through the years of struggle and triumph. I feel it when the mass bands play Dido’s lament at the cenotaph… an achingly beautiful refrain by our greatest composer, Henry Purcell.

            But, traditions and institutions need to be reinvented from time to time…they can’t be left like an old coat mouldering away in a closet. It’s time for change in 2021!

          • UK Monarchs do not retire: they die on the job. It is part of the specification.

          • I could enjoin you to read Bagehot: but if you don’t understand that ordinariness never trumps magic, then no matter what I say, it will never fill the void in your understanding.

          • With all due respect there is no reason for you to assume that you understand more than I. You have a different point of view, that is all. As a history teacher of some 20 years and an OAP, I am well aware of many of the traditions of our land. Change, where necessary, should be embraced for the good not only of the country, but the survival of the monarchy itself. If you are not prepared for change, the monarchy will end up like the mouldering coat in the closet. Traditions are made by people, not magicians! Whatever magic you perceive, it is all in the mind. And remember, the Royal Family exists to serve the people of this country, not the other way round. John Major spoke today about many in the Royal family facing a last curtain call. Expect some fundamental changes over the next few years

      • I would not like to see us wander into becoming a republic. Imagine a Trump or President Corbyn. There are improvements needed in government, I think, House of Lords maybe how the regions operate but I hope the monarchy is here to stay

        Our thoughts are now with Her Majesty and long may she reign,as long as she wishes to do so. Prepared or not to lose a loved one after all these years…

        I like William and Kate but Charles will be King and rightly so. Despite the perceived differences he is his fathers son.The Prince’s Trust is a fantastic organisation and his love of nature will appeal to many, as will his desire to become “defender of faith” rather than “the faith”. He can and I think will be a healer of a nation that badly needs a sense of unity moving forward.

        • For the Queen, abdication is a memory of a family horror. She should not be asked to do it. She should be offered honorable retirement i.e. she becomes the Queen-in-retirement & Charles becomes Prince Regent.

          • Agreed…no suggestion otherwise. The idea of Charles becoming Prince Regent could work very well .Despite what we see in the media I’m sure the family will rally round her in the weeks ahead.

          • HM the Queen will not and does not need to abdicate / retire. There is no reason why she can’t remain Monarch and allow the Prince of Wales to take on all public duties. I also think that Charles could do the same laying down the precedent that the Monarch remains Monarch but hands on public duties when they reach retirement age. Tough on Prince William but he’d be really popular for at least a few years, connect with younger people and get us through this difficult time. Just needs some management and leadership.

  32. Under the Sophia Naturalisation Act of 1705, Prince Philip, as a descendant of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, was an English subject from birth, hence his 1947 naturalisation was not strictly necessary…..

      • In a 1956 decision of the House of Lords, Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover’s claim was allowed and he was recognized as a British subject. At the time of the case, it was pointed out privately that the Act in 1705, could not make him A ‘British’ citizen, only an ‘English ‘ citizen, since Great Britain only came into existence as an international state in 1707, following the Treaty of Union, but the point was not raised in the court case.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here