https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4074042/Prince-Philip-dies.htmlPrince Philip dead at 99: Queen announces with 'deep sorrow' that husband the Duke of Edinburgh 'passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle' this morning three weeks after he finished 28-night hospital stay for infection and heart surgery
Her Majesty announced death of her husband of 73 years at midday today and joins 'the world in mourning'
Philip was in Windsor after being treated for an infection and pre-existing heart condition for 28 nights
Duke of Edinburgh had kept a low profile since conducting his final solo public engagement in August 2017
After retiring, Philip spent much of his time at Windsor and at Queen's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk
Duke was the longest-serving consort in British history and the oldest serving partner of a reigning monarch
Philip was known for legendary gaffes and uncensored and politically incorrect opinions on various subjects
By Nick Enoch and Mark Duell and Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 12:01, 9 April 2021 | Updated: 12:36, 9 April 2021
The Queen today announced with 'deep sorrow' the death of her husband Prince Philip at the age of 99, her 'strength and guide' throughout their 73-year marriage and her 69-year reign. The Duke of Edinburgh spent his final days at Windsor Castle with his wife after a 28-night stay in hospital having been admitted in mid-February for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition. Her Majesty announced her husband's death at midday. Buckingham Palace said in a statement: 'It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces 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. Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss'.
His death plunges the nation and the Royal Family into mourning, and brings to an end Philip's lifetime of service to Britain and to Elizabeth, the Queen who adored him since her teens. Her Majesty is now expected to enter an eight-day period of mourning. She will not carry out any duties, even in private, while laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will also be paused. A further period of official Royal Mourning is expected to continue for 30 days. Officials at Buckingham Palace are now preparing for a royal ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in keeping with Philip's wishes, with a military procession also expected in London Covid laws permitting.
As the Queen lost her husband, and the country mourns one of its greatest servants, it also emerged:
~ Flags around the UK and Commonwealth are at half-mast as Boris Johnson leads tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh, who the PM said has 'helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life';
~ Her Majesty will enter a period of mourning with officials planning his funeral at Windsor, which will be hit by Covid restrictions;
The Queen is in 'deep sorrow' following her husband's death. 'He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,' Her Majesty said at their Golden Wedding banquet in 1997. '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.'
The quizzical, witty, faithful and often controversial the Duke was the Queen's greatest source of support, her confidant and the man she relied on above all others. Until his death, Philip was the longest-serving consort in British history and the oldest partner of a reigning monarch, who despite his ill health took part her first royal engagement of 2021 last week. He was a great-grandfather of ten, with the most recent addition to his wider family being Zara and Mike Tindall's baby son Lucas Philip Tindall on March 21 soon after Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son August, who was born on February 9. Philip's lifelong role was to ensure that he never let The Queen down and their long-lasting marriage was one of the world's best known relationships. Reflecting their love in her Diamond Jubilee speech to Parliament in 2012, the Elizabeth said: 'During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure. Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide.'
The couple married in November 1947 she a 21-year-old sheltered princess, he a swaggering Royal Navy officer with Greek and Danish royal blood, who had only recently seen active service during World War Two. From that moment, the day Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten became the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip a private, enigmatic man of strong character was always there, one step behind, ready to lend the Queen a helping hand. Following his retirement from public life in August 2017, he kept a low public profile. In recent months the couple have lived through the coronavirus pandemic together, at Sandringham in Norfolk, during a summer break at Balmoral Estate in Scotland and latterly in what was dubbed 'HMS Bubble' at Windsor Castle from October 2020. The pair received their coronavirus inoculations together at Windsor in January, and the virus was quickly ruled out as the cause of his admission to London's King Edward VII hospital on February 16. Buckingham Palace had initially said it was a precautionary measure because the Duke was feeling unwell, and his grandson Prince William said after a week of treatment that he was 'OK' but doctors were 'keeping an eye on him'.
The palace then revealed the Duke was being treated for an 'infection', with his youngest son Prince Edward adding that the Royal Family were 'keeping our fingers crossed'.
But concerns grew when, after two weeks at the private King Edward VII, Philip was transferred to St Bartholomew's NHS hospital in central London with the palace saying he would 'undertake testing and observation for a pre-existing heart condition'.
He then underwent a heart operation and was transferred back to King Edward VII's, before eventually leaving on March 16 and returning to Windsor Castle by car following 28 days in hospital. Philip's eldest son Prince Charles, 72, paid him a half-hour visit during the first week of his treatment, making a 100-mile journey from Highgrove in Gloucestershire to the capital. Charles appeared emotional when he left. The monarchy was plunged into crisis while Philip was in hospital following the shocking allegations of racism made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan, who faced calls to postpone the interview because Philip was unwell, accused an unnamed royal, not the Queen nor the duke, of raising concerns about how dark their son Archie's skin tone would be before he was born. Meghan also told of how she begged for help when she was suicidal, but said the institution gave her no support. The Queen, 94, said the issues were concerning, but that 'some recollections may vary' and the matter was a family one that would be dealt with privately. Although Philip was in remarkably good health well into his 90s, he had battled ill health in recent years and spent Christmas 2011 in hospital when he was rushed in needing a heart stent. It was the first Christmas he and the Queen had spent apart in their then 64-year marriage. It was those increasing health concerns that led to him stepping back from royal duties in 2017. He conducted the last of his 22,219 public engagements since the Queen ascended the throne in 1952 by meeting Royal Marines at Buckingham Palace. Though he rarely made public appearances after his official retirement, Philip was pictured standing next to the Queen at the private wedding of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in Windsor in July 2020. Other appearances included at the weddings of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, both at Windsor Castle. He also appeared at the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor, whose father is the Queen's cousin Prince Michael of Kent, to Thomas Kingston in May 2019, and formally handed over his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the infantry regiment The Rifles to the Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Castle in July 2020. After his retirement, the Duke of Edinburgh spent much of his time at Windsor, and at Wood Farm, a small residence on the Queen's private Sandringham estate, where he read, painted watercolours and wrote letters with occasional visits to London. Through his stewardship, he had a profound effect on the development of the British monarchy. In public, the Duke never attempted to upstage the woman he loved. In private, it was Philip that the Queen would defer to.
Philip once warned a group of Scottish students in China that they would become 'slitty eyed'. On another occasion, he pointed to a fusebox of loose wires in a Glasgow factory and remarked that it looked like it had been installed by an 'Indian'. He was well aware of his public perception, once telling former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth: 'I have become a caricature. There we are. I've just got to accept it.'
There was further controversy in February 2019, when Philip voluntarily surrendered his driving licence, having flipped his Land Rover Freelander in a crash with a Kia near the Sandringham estate that left two women injured. The Duke was a forceful man, often portrayed as short-tempered and rather off-hand in his manner. Yet he had the ability to charm and could be relied upon to break the ice with his sense of humour and quick repartee. The curious Duke would ask endless questions while on engagements, grilling and challenging his hosts persistently. He had a no-fuss, no-nonsense manner that has been inherited by his daughter, the Princess Royal.
He was once said to have described himself as 'a discredited Balkan prince of no particular merit or distinction'. He was never given and apparently never coveted the title of Prince Consort, traditionally how Queens' husbands are styled. He received little public adulation for his tireless charity work and support for the monarchy in difficult times. Philip once warned a group of Scottish students in China that they would become 'slitty eyed'. On another occasion, he pointed to a fusebox of loose wires in a Glasgow factory and remarked that it looked like it had been installed by an 'Indian'. He was well aware of his public perception, once telling former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth: 'I have become a caricature. There we are. I've just got to accept it.'
Yet he had the ability to charm and could be relied upon to break the ice with his sense of humour and quick repartee. He received little public adulation for his tireless charity work and support for the monarchy in difficult times. 'All too often, I fear, Prince Philip has had to listen to me speaking,' the Queen said in the 1997 Golden Wedding address. 'Frequently we have discussed my intended speech beforehand and, as you will imagine, his views have been expressed in a forthright manner.'
The Duke replied in his toast to his wife: '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.'
At home, he assumed the position of head of the family as the royal patriarch. Even as recently as November 2019, he held talks with Prince Charles at Sandringham to discuss the fallout from Prince Andrew's disastrous TV interview over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In April that year, the Duke had become the longest serving consort in British history and the oldest serving partner of a reigning monarch, while his wife became Britain's longest reigning monarch and the world's longest reigning serving monarch. Like his great-great-grandfather Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's beloved husband, the Duke immersed himself in national life, yet managed to retain something of the sceptical spectator. Some thought he was arrogant, rude and insensitive; others found him witty and fun. He could be abrupt, outspoken and was not afraid of using colourful language. He was parodied for his bad-tempered outbursts and criticised for his legendary gaffes. Philip once warned a group of Scottish students in China that they would become 'slitty eyed'. On another occasion, he pointed to a fusebox of loose wires in a Glasgow factory and remarked that it looked like it had been installed by an 'Indian'. He was well aware of his public perception, once telling former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth: 'I have become a caricature. There we are. I've just got to accept it.'
There was further controversy in February 2019, when Philip voluntarily surrendered his driving licence, having flipped his Land Rover Freelander in a crash with a Kia near the Sandringham estate that left two women injured. The Duke was a forceful man, often portrayed as short-tempered and rather off-hand in his manner. Yet he had the ability to charm and could be relied upon to break the ice with his sense of humour and quick repartee. The curious Duke would ask endless questions while on engagements, grilling and challenging his hosts persistently. He had a no-fuss, no-nonsense manner that has been inherited by his daughter, the Princess Royal. He was once said to have described himself as 'a discredited Balkan prince of no particular merit or distinction'. He was never given and apparently never coveted the title of Prince Consort, traditionally how Queens' husbands are styled. He received little public adulation for his tireless charity work and support for the monarchy in difficult times. He and the Queen witnessed the failure of three of their four children's marriages and the fallout that followed, particularly the scandal surrounding Camilla Parker Bowles, who eventually married into The Firm. More recently, they also endured the fallout from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to break away from Royal duties in January 2020 dubbed Megxit. One Royal expert, Ingrid Seward, claimed Philip would have been 'more influential' in challenging Harry over his decision to leave the Royal Family if he had been younger. Further issues ensued when it was announced Harry and Meghan were going to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in a 'tell-all' chat which they did not brief the Queen about in advance. Then on February 19, Harry and Meghan were stripped of their prestigious patronages as the couple confirmed Megxit had become permanent. That came less than a week after the couple announced with a black-and-white photoshoot that Meghan was pregnant with their second child, later revealed to be a girl. Elizabeth and Philip also witnessed Prince Andrew's disastrous Newsnight interview in November 2019 over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which saw the Duke of York deserted by many of his official charities and patronages. The Royal Family also faced criticism for their response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Duke was depicted as a tough, but caring father, amid speculation that his relationship with the Prince of Wales was not always the easiest. But he guarded his privacy and refused to discuss such matters. By almost any standard he was a remarkable character. He had all the qualities which, even without his royal status, would have led him to the top. He was a successful naval officer and he was also a pilot of considerable ability. In his leisure moments he was a good shot, a first-class polo player, an accomplished sailor, enthusiastic cricketer and international four-in-hand carriage driver. He also enjoyed films, and is said to have made a surprise visit to the set of the Hatton Garden heist film King Of Thieves in 2018. His themes were many but he regularly returned to the prickly subject of the British economy and also conservation, one of his great passions. He could speak with authority on industry, science and nature. One of the Duke's most famous speeches was in 1961 when he told industrialists: 'Gentlemen, I think it is time we pulled our fingers out.'
He often criticised exporters for not fighting hard enough for Britain abroad and hit out at the 'I'm all right, Jack' society for not pulling its weight at home. Even in later life, the Duke was a modern man. He was always forward-thinking and often ahead of his time. He was eating muesli 20 years before most people and drove around London in an electric car in an attempt to fight pollution. As the world begins to mourn him, Philip will be remembered for the huge role he played in the lives of people in Britain and the Commonwealth, while the Queen now faces her greatest challenge of all as she leads the country for the first time without her loyal husband by her side. There are those who believe that, had the Duke not married Princess Elizabeth, he would have been First Sea Lord. But he gave it all up for the woman he devoted himself to. Writing to Princess Elizabeth Lilibet as he called her in 1946, he apologised for the 'monumental cheek' of turning up to Buckingham Palace uninvited. 'Yet however contrite I feel, there is always a small voice that keeps saying 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained',' he wrote.
'Well did I venture, and I gained a wonderful time.'
Her Majesty's biggest challenge: How the Queen must now go on without her 'rock' Philip beside her after one of the Royal Family's most testing years
The loss of her beloved husband at the age of 99 will be one of the most traumatic experiences the Queen has ever had to face. Together for more than 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh has supported the monarch through the ups and down of her life and reign, including throughout the time they have spent together at Windsor Castle as part of 'HMS Bubble'. His death comes during one of the Royal Family's most testing periods, with Buckingham Palace plunged into crisis following Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. As Philip languished in hospital, the CBS programme aired on March 7 and shook the monarchy to its core as the Sussexes made accusations of brazen racism within the royal ranks. And the Queen had to cope with all this while her husband was spending 28 days in hospital in London as he was receiving treatment at both King Edward VII's Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital. Both Philip and the Queen were cleared of being the culprit who expressed 'concerns' about 'how dark' Archie's skin would be but the claim has serious implications for the institution. Although Philip stepped down from doing public engagements in 2017, he had been by the Queen's side throughout the rollercoaster of the past year. The monarch had to cope with Prince Harry's apparent feud with Prince William and criticism of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex for taking private jet journeys despite speaking out on environmental issues. Most recently she had to deal with the upset caused by Megxit, which Harry and Meghan decided to move to an £11million mansion in California rather than continue living in Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. Then in January 2020 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shocked the world by announcing their intention to step down as senior royals. Buckingham Palace said all were 'saddened' by their decision to permanently step down as working royals, but they remained 'much loved members of the family'.
A statement added that the Queen had 'written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service'. But the Sussexes hit back with a statement of their own, saying: 'We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.'
Philip's son Prince Charles, 72, visited him at King Edward VII Hospital in London on Saturday afternoon for half an hour after making a 100-mile journey from Highgrove in Gloucestershire to the capital, and appeared emotional when he left. Royal expert Penny Junor suggested that while she did not know the reason for Charles's visit, Harry is likely to have come up. She said: 'Momentous things are happening in the family at the moment and I suppose it's perfectly possible that Charles wanted to go and talk to his father and reassure him about Harry.'
The Queen has, of course, previously experienced great loss. In 2002, her Golden Jubilee year, both her mother and sister died within weeks of one another. But Philip was at her side. There will be no chance to spend as much time as she needs out of the spotlight grieving, with an appearance at the Duke's funeral in the full glare of the media beckoning within days. The Queen, with all her training as head of state, is used to holding her emotions in check in public. Shortly after her father King George VI died, she was required to greet Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other dignitaries immediately on landing in London as the new Queen. But sometimes the depth of her sadness has proved too much. Just months after the Queen Mother died, tears rolled down her cheeks when she took on her late mother's role at the poignant opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey. During her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, she cut a solitary figure as she walked through St Paul's Cathedral without the Duke, who was taken to hospital with a bladder infection. Princess Eugenie, the couple's granddaughter, described how the Queen and Philip were each other's 'rock' and spoke of how difficult it had been for the Queen to be without her husband during the Diamond Jubilee. 'They are the most incredibly supportive couple to each other,' she told Sky News after the Jubilee.
'Grandpa was unfortunately taken ill and for Granny to come and do that alone was probably quite testing and I think he is her rock, really, and she is his.'
The Queen and the Duke shared an irreplaceable bond united at key moments of history, witnessed from the unique viewpoint of a monarch and her consort. While private secretaries and household staff have come and gone, Philip remained a constant in the Queen's life. They travelled the globe together, endured state visit after state visit, and thousands of engagements over the years all made more bearable with one another's company and through the knowledge they were in it as a duo albeit one wearing the crown. They also witnessed the changing world from a shared standpoint, with just five years difference in age between them. They married in the 1940s and saw together the rapid advances in modern life from man walking on the moon for the first time to the invention of the internet. Now as duty dictates, the Queen will continue her role as Sovereign alone, without the lifelong companion upon whom she greatly depended. nnThe Queen has been gradually reducing the number of public engagements she attends from 332 in 2016 to a still impressive 283 in 2018. Her son Prince Charles, meanwhile, undertook 507, and he met Prince Philip at Sandringham in November 2019 to discuss the fallout from Andrew's BBC interview. Charles's key role in 'retiring' Prince Andrew from public life has fed speculation he is preparing to adopt a modern 'Prince Regent' role. This would see him control day-to-day royal affairs while his mother remains monarch. Her Majesty will turn 95 in April 2021 the same age at which her husband Philip withdrew from his public duties. And there is talk among courtiers that she may use the milestone to effectively hand over day-to-day control of the monarchy to Charles. Many courtiers feel that since Philip, who used to rule his family with an iron fist, retired from public life, 'discipline' within the royal family has not been what it should be. This has been linked to Andrew's virtually autonomous decision to go ahead with his disastrous Newsnight interview about Epstein. Royal biographer Christopher Wilson described him as 'the guiding hand, the disciplinarian' and said that since his retirement there was no central command at Buckingham Palace, telling the Daily Telegraph: 'You can see the disintegration.'
Following this the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their departure from royal duties at the start of 2020, as they moved to North America for a new life. The couple, who had their first son Archie in May 2019, decided to step down following a series of controversies including their support for environmental issues despite regularly flying on private jets. 'Megxit' was then made permanent in February 2021, after Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry and Meghan who are now expecting a second child, a girl would not be returning as senior royals. But weeks later the the monarchy was plunged into crisis while Philip was in hospital following the shocking allegations of racism made by the Sussexes in their interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan, who faced calls to postpone the interview because Philip was unwell, accused an unnamed royal of raising concerns about how dark Archie's skin tone would be before he was born.
In March this year, Philip was reunited with the Queen after leaving hospital following a period of 28 days receiving treatment at both King Edward VII's Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital in London
He was initially receiving care for an infection then underwent heart surgery for a pre-existing condition. Philip was taken to King Edward VII's by car on February 16 after feeling unwell at Windsor Castle. Two weeks later was moved to St Bartholomew's Hospital in the City of London by ambulance where he had a successful procedure on a pre-existing heart condition on March 3. A few days later he was transferred back to King Edward's to recuperate and to continue his treatment before being taken back to Windsor Castle on March 16 after a month away from his wife.
The extraordinary life of Prince Philip: Born on a kitchen table in Corfu, the prince with Danish, German, Russian and British blood who was carried into exile aged just one and overcame the trauma of an absent father and mother to fight for his country
He escaped Greece as a baby, stowed in a makeshift cot made from an orange box. But Prince Philip did not let his traumatic childhood hinder him as he rose to great heights after being sent to the UK as a virtually orphaned ten-year-old boy. With his mother in a psychiatric clinic and his exiled father mostly absent, Philip spent his early years living with various relatives. Despite this and a succession of family tragedies, he emerged charming and uncomplaining, though prone to occasional volcanic outbursts. At 21, he was one of the youngest 1st lieutenants in the Royal Navy and was praised for his role in the Second World War. In July 1943, he devised a clever plan to deflect enemy aircraft, saving the lives of sailors on board the destroyer HMS Wallace. And with his good looks, in his personal life, glamorous young women fell at his feet. He won round Hollywood actresses, British socialites and eventually a 17-year-old Elizabeth Windsor. Following the news of the Prince's death aged 99, MailOnline follows Philip's remarkable journey from exile to Buckingham Palace. Prince Philip was born on June 10, 1921, on the kitchen table at his family home Mon Repos on the Greek island of Corfu. He was the fifth child, and only boy, of parents Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His ancestry was a mix of Greece, Denmark, Russia and Prussia on his father's side, and his maternal grandmother, Princess Victoria of Hesse, was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, making him Elizabeth II's third cousin. The family were happily living in the royal household of Philip's uncle King Constantine I. However, Greece was gripped by political instability and just a year and a half later the family were forced to flee after the King was exiled from his own country following a military revolt. In the political recriminations that followed, Philip's father, a Lieutenant-General in the Greek army, was accused of high treason after allegedly disobeying an order and abandoning his post with his cavalry regiment in the face of attack during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922. The family managed to escape on British naval vessel HMS Calypso, with the newborn prince carried to safety in a cot famously crafted from an unused fruit box. They were taken to France where they settled in a leafy suburb in Paris in a house loaned to them by his wealthy aunt, Princess George of Greece and Denmark. From then on, the Duke's childhood was incredibly unsettled as he was without a permanent home. Years later, when an interviewer for The Independent asked him what language he spoke at home, he answered: 'What do you mean, 'at home'?'
He told a separate biographer in 2001: 'It's simply what happened. The family broke up. My mother was ill, my sisters were married, my father was in the south of France. I just had to get on with it. You do. One does.'
At the age of eight, Philip was sent to Cheam school in Surrey for three years but moved to Germany where all four of his sisters had married. His stint in Germany proved brief when he moved back to Britain and was sent to Gordonstoun, a boarding school in Scotland. The school near Elgin, Scotland, was started by Dr Hahn, who had a profound influence on the Prince. He very rarely saw his parents and was left isolated, but he was a happy, lively child. He later said of his family's break-up: 'I just had to get on with it. You do. One does.'
The Duke thrived at Gordonstoun, captaining the hockey and cricket teams and becoming guardian (head boy) in his last term. It was there he learned to 'mess about in boats', laying the solid foundation of a future naval career. His Uncle Dickie, Lord Mountbatten, one of Britain's greatest seamen, took a keen interest in the Prince's progress. While he was there, Philip experienced another series of tragedies. When he was 16, his sister Cecile, her husband, and their two children were killed in a plane crash. Just a few months later, his uncle and guardian, George Mountbatten, the second Marquess of Milford Haven, died suddenly of cancer at the age of 46. Gordonstoun's German headmaster, Kurt Hahn, was the one to break the news. 'His sorrow was that of a man,' his headmaster is said to have recalled.
After leaving school, Philip joined the Royal Navy, beginning at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in May 1939, and was singled out as best cadet. He stayed in the Royal Navy and served on several ships firstly on HMS Ramillies and saw active service against German, Italian and Japanese forces. The next year he became a midshipman. In March 1941, he was a searchlight control officer on the battleship HMS Valiant and was mentioned in dispatches for his part in the battle of Matapan against the Italian fleet. His commanding officer said: 'Thanks to his alertness and appreciation of the situation, we were able to sink in five minutes two eight-inch gun Italian cruisers.'
Shortly afterwards, he was awarded the Greek War Cross of Valour. When he moved up through the ranks to become First Lieutenant in the destroyer HMS Wallace (at the age of 21), he was the youngest officer in the service to have an executive job in a ship of its size. But at Christmas 1943, with 'nowhere particular to go', as he nonchalantly put it, Philip went with his cousin, David Milford Haven, to stay at Windsor Castle. Princess Elizabeth, now 17, was animated in a way 'none of us had ever seen before', wrote her governess, Marion Crawford.
That weekend of dinner parties, charades, films and dancing to the gramophone proved to be a turning point. After a subsequent visit to Windsor in July, Philip wrote to the Queen of 'the simple enjoyment of family pleasures and amusements and the feeling that I am welcome to share them. I am afraid I am not capable of putting all this into the right words and I am certainly incapable of showing you the gratitude that I feel.'
Late that summer, the Queen asked him to Balmoral for three weeks to shoot grouse and stalk. It was probably during this holiday that he proposed. At last, he wrote to the Queen, life seemed to have a purpose. 'To have been spared in the war and seen victory, to have been given the chance to rest and to re-adjust myself, to have fallen in love completely and unreservedly, makes all one's personal and even the world's troubles seem small and petty'.
The King agreed in principle to let the couple marry but wanted them to wait until Elizabeth was 21. To begin with, the King and Queen had misgivings about the match. According to Harold Nicolson, they felt he was 'rough, ill-mannered, uneducated and would probably not be faithful'.
But the more they got to know him, the more they liked him, especially George VI, who appreciated his forthright manner, joshing humour and love of the outdoors. By the time Prince Philip married, at the age of 26, he had lost virtually all the landmarks that tie the rest of us to childhood and give us identity. His father died in Monte Carlo in 1944 after amassing gambling debts and he'd lost his birthright, his home, name, nationality and church. Even his birthday fixed first in the Julian calendar and then the Gregorian was no longer the same. Following the end of the Second World War, Philip ended his active naval career in July 1951 and then started to focus on his work in supporting the Queen following her accession to the throne in 1952. He also became possibly best known for founding the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme four years later in 1956, a youth achievement award which now operates in more than 140 countries. The award, which was founded alongside German educationalist Kurt Hahn and Mount Everest climber Lord Hunt, is aimed at helping young people aged between 14 and 24 experience adventure and learn outside the classroom. The Duke also spent much of his life involved in charities and organisations working within environmental conservation, sport, the military and engineering with a particular interest in scientific and technological research. In 1959 he first chaired the judging panel for The Prince Philip Designers Prize, with winners including Sir James Dyson, Lord Foster and Brompton folding bicycle inventor Andrew Ritchie. He also retained strong connections to the Armed Forces, and in 1952 was appointed Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps. The next year he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet and appointed Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force. The Duke was also Colonel-in-Chief, or Colonel, of various British and overseas regiments. Philip played a prominent part in various aspects of British life through his role as consort or companion to the Sovereign, accompanying the Queen on most of her Commonwealth tours and State Visits overseas as well as trips around the UK. He has also travelled abroad a great deal on his own account and has taken great pride in the four children he has had with the Queen. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales was born in 1948 and Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, was born two years later. After Philip's wife became Queen Elizabeth II, the couple had two further children: Prince Andrew, Duke of York, born in 1960 and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, born in 1964. Among the royal tours which had the biggest impact on him was a trip to Antarctica and the South Atlantic in 1956-57, since which he tried to raise public awareness of the environmental impacts of humanity. In May 2017 it was announced that the Duke of Edinburgh had decided to no longer carry out public engagements, but he remained patron, president of a member of more than 750 associations up to his death. The Duke enjoyed good health well into his later years, although as his age advanced beyond 90, concerns for his well-being have increased after he faced a number of scares. Abdominal surgery, bladder infections, a blocked coronary artery and a hip replacement saw him admitted to hospital on a number of occasions. Despite having to spend two months convalescing following an operation on his abdomen, the duke appeared sprightly and walked unaided on an official visit to a care home in October 2013 when, at 92, he was older than many of the residents. A car crash while driving at the age of 97 left him shocked and shaken but miraculously uninjured. He surrendered his driving licence three weeks later. In January this year, the Duke and the Queen were given a coronavirus vaccine at Windsor Castle by a household doctor. They spent lockdown sheltering at Windsor and had a quiet Christmas at the Berkshire residence after deciding to forgo the traditional royal family gathering at Sandringham.
In March this year, he was reunited with the Queen after leaving hospital following a period of 28 days receiving treatment at both King Edward VII's Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital in London
He was initially receiving care for an infection then underwent heart surgery for a pre-existing condition. Philip was taken to King Edward VII's by car on February 16 after feeling unwell at Windsor Castle. Two weeks later was moved to St Bartholomew's Hospital in the City of London by ambulance where he had a successful procedure on a pre-existing heart condition on March 3. A few days later he was transferred back to King Edward's to recuperate and to continue his treatment before being taken back to Windsor Castle on March 16 after a month away from his wife.
