Prince Philip biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. Also known today as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, Philip is the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. He has four older sisters: Cecilie, Sophie, Margarita and Theodora.

While not British, Philip does have family ties to England. Shortly after his birth, his maternal grandfather, Prince Louis of Hattenberg, died in London. Louis was a naturalized British citizen, who had renounced his German titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten during the First World War. Philip is also related to the British royal family through Queen Victoria. 

On September 22, 1922, Philip's uncle, King Constantine I of Greece, was forced to abdicate the throne. The military government arrested Prince Andrew and executed the commander of the army and five senior politicians. In December 1922, a revolutionary court banished Prince Andrew from Greece for life. Philip's family went to France, where they settled in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud.

Philip was first educated at an American school in Paris. In 1928, he was sent to the United Kingdom to attend the Cheam School. In 1933, he relocated to a school in Germany, moving again to a school in Scotland following the rise of the Nazi party. Many of his family members remained in Germany, including his sisters, who married into German aristocratic circles.

After graduating in 1939, Philip attended the Royal Naval College, where he excelled. During World War II, he served in the British Navy, while two of his brothers-in-law fought on the opposing Axis side of the conflict.

Marriage to Queen Elizabeth II

In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother Elizabeth) toured the Royal Naval College. Philip escorted their two young daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, who were distant cousins of Philip’s through Queen Victoria. The 13-year-old Elizabeth developed a crush on Philip during the trip. Elizabeth and Philip and began to exchange letters, which would continue for the next seven years.

In the summer of 1946, Philip asked King George for his daughter's hand in marriage. The king agreed, provided that any formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth's 21st birthday. To prepare for the announcement, Philip abandoned his Greek and Danish royal titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother's family, and became a British subject.

The engagement of Philip and Elizabeth was announced to the public on July 10, 1947. They were married on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony broadcast throughout the world by radio.