Born on a kitchen desk on June 10, 1921, he was a prince of Greece with no Greek blood, and who skilled extra turmoil in his childhood than most individuals see of their whole lives.
The late Prince Philip, recognized worldwide because the beloved husband of Queen Elizabeth II, grew to become one in all Britain's hottest royals.
However he started his life one million miles away from any British palace, in essentially the most chaotic of circumstances.
Philip was the fifth youngster and solely son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and his spouse, Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Shortly after his delivery, revolution broke out in Greece and the royal household was exiled after his father was accused of treason.
Philip was bundled into an orange field and fled along with his household to Paris aboard a British warship.
It was a becoming ship, as Philip had served with distinction within the Royal Navy throughout World Battle II – earlier than marrying the love of his life in 1947.
Prince Philippe as a younger youngster in July 1922, born Prince Philippos Andreou of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, then Prince of Greece and Denmark
Princess Alice of Battenberg (left) along with her son the late Duke of Edinburgh (proper), photographed in 1926
Photograph of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth after the announcement of their engagement in July 1947, the 2 met once they had been simply 18 and 13 years outdated
Prince Philip (pictured in Canada in 1984) had a tumultuous adolescence and needed to go away his homeland along with his household in December 1922 when he was only one yr outdated.
After fleeing Greece, Philip – who was born in Corfu – and his household settled in a home in a leafy suburb of Paris lent to him by his rich aunt, Princess George of Greece and Denmark.
From then on, Duke had an extremely turbulent childhood as he had no everlasting residence.
Years later, when an interviewer from The Impartial requested him what language he spoke at residence, he replied: 'What do you imply 'at residence'?'
He informed a special biographer in 2001: 'It's simply what occurred. The household broke up. My mom was ailing, my sisters had been married, my father was within the south of France. I simply needed to cope with it. You do you. An individual does.'
On the age of eight Philip was despatched to Cheam Faculty in Surrey for 3 years – however then moved to Germany, the place all 4 of his sisters had been married.
His stint in Germany was transient as he returned to the UK and was despatched to Gordonstoun, a boarding faculty in Scotland.
By then his mom—identified with schizophrenia—had been despatched to a Swiss sanatorium and his father was dwelling along with his mistress on the French Riviera.
Not like his eldest son King Charles, Philip beloved his time spent at Gordonstoun.
He thrived at boarding faculty – captaining the hockey and cricket groups and discovering a ardour for boats.
Nonetheless, when Philip was 16 and nonetheless a pupil on the faculty, his sister and uncle died inside the span of just a few months.
His sister Cecile died alongside along with her husband and two kids in a aircraft crash in November 1937.
5 months later, Philip's uncle and guardian, the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, died immediately from most cancers on the age of 46.
It was Kurt Hahn, the German headmaster of Gordonstoun, who broke the information. The headmaster mentioned that 'his grief was like that of a person.'
At his sister's funeral, Philip was reunited along with his mom, who needed Philip to return to Greece along with her after the restoration of the Greek monarchy.
The younger prince declined and sought a profession within the navy. In World Battle II, he noticed energetic service in opposition to German, Italian and Japanese forces.
In March 1941, he was searchlight management officer on the battleship HMS Valiant and was talked about in dispatches for his function within the Battle of Matapan in opposition to the Italian fleet.
His commanding officer mentioned: 'Resulting from his alertness and understanding of the scenario, we succeeded in sinking two eight-inch gun Italian cruisers in 5 minutes.'
Quickly afterwards, he was awarded the Greek Battle Cross of Valour.
When he reached the rank of First Lieutenant aboard the destroyer HMS Wallace (on the age of 21), he was the youngest officer to carry an govt place aboard a ship of that dimension.
However at Christmas 1943, when, as he mentioned nonchalantly, there was 'no explicit place to go', Philip went to stick with his cousin David Milford Haven at Windsor Fort. Princess Elizabeth, now 17, was vibrant in a manner 'that none of us had ever seen earlier than', wrote her governess Marion Crawford.
That weekend of dinner events, performs, movies and dancing to the gramophone proved to be a turning level.
After his subsequent go to to Windsor in July, Philip wrote to the Queen of 'the straightforward pleasure of household pleasures and entertainments and the sensation that I’m welcome to share them. I’m afraid I’m not in a position to put all this into the correct phrases and I’m actually unable to precise to you the gratitude I really feel.'
The pair had been first correctly launched in July 1939, when Elizabeth accompanied her mother and father to Dartmouth Naval School, the place Philip was coaching.
Prince Philip, pictured as a toddler in July 1922, spent his early years with relations after arriving from Greece
When Philip (centre) was simply 9, his mom (left) was despatched to a Swiss sanatorium and his father (proper) went to reside along with his mistress
Prince Philip's mother and father Princess Alice (left) and Prince Andrew (proper) pictured in 1922
Philip was educated at Scottish boarding faculty Gordonstoun, the place he excelled. Above: The longer term Duke of Edinburgh checks his trainers throughout an inter-school sports activities day in 1935
After leaving faculty he joined the Royal Navy and had nice success – he was even awarded the Greek Battle Cross of Valour. Photograph of Prince Philip throughout army service
Philip was 18 on the time and the princess simply 13; they’d met one another earlier than at a household marriage ceremony and at her father's coronation.
The Prince was tasked with displaying Elizabeth and her sister across the faculty, and he immediately made an impression on his future spouse.
By the point Philip married Elisabeth in 1947, on the age of 26, his father had died. He had died in Monaco in 1944.
There was a spot of over 14 years between the delivery of Prince Charles in November 1948 and the arrival of Prince Edward in March 1964.
Philip ended his energetic naval profession in July 1951 after which targeting his work supporting the Queen after she ascended the throne in 1952.
Philip's uncle Louis Mountbatten (left) with the prince at a Nationwide Taking part in Fields Affiliation dinner in London in 1948
He had 4 kids with Elizabeth – Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew
Prince Philip (second from proper) at his bachelor get together along with his fellow Royal Navy officers on the Dorchester Resort in 1947.
Philip fulfilled his royal duties with gusto and based the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in 1956 – which continues to be influential in the present day and operates in additional than 130 nations
In November 1952 he started coaching to be a pilot within the R.A.F. and took a profitable flight the next yr.
By the point he retired from flying in 1997 at age 76, he had logged almost 6,000 hours within the skies in 59 completely different plane.
Philip thrived in his royal duties. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which he based in 1956, proved maybe his best legacy. It now operates in additional than 140 nations.
The Duke was the Queen's fixed companion at occasions, state visits and personal conferences.
When he died on April 9, 2021, on the age of 99, the outpouring of grief mirrored his beloved standing amongst relations and within the eyes of thousands and thousands world wide.
