Prince Philip

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. He is the youngest of five children and the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

After his family was exiled from Greece when he was an infant, Philip was raised and educated in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II up until his wife Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne in 1952. Following the end of his active service, Philip remained involved in the military, serving as the Admiral of the Fleet beginning in 1953, when he was also appointed Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Philip met then-princess Elizabeth when she was 13. The pair married in 1947, five years before she ascended to the British throne. Ahead of their nuptials, Philip became a British subject, after renouncing his claim to the Greek and Danish thrones. He was then given the title of Duke of Edinburgh. In 2009, he became the longest-serving British consort. He and Elizabeth are the longest-married couple in the history of the British royal family, after more than seven decades together.

The prince shares four children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, with Her Majesty. They have eight grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry, and 10 great-grandchildren with more on the way.

He was given the title and office of Lord High Admiral, the titular head of the Royal Navy in 2011 to commemorate his 90th birthday. Philip stepped down for public service six years later in August 2017 at the age of 96.

Philip was hospitalized for 28 days after he was admitted for a preexisting condition in February 2021. Less than a month after undergoing heart surgery, the duke died two months shy of his 100th birthday on April 9, 2021.