Buckingham Palace has announced the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh at the age of 99.

Prince Phillip was born June 10th 1921 in Mon Repos, Corfu, Kingdom of Greece to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg and was a descendent of Queen Victoria.

As a member of the House of Glücksburg, Prince Phillip was a member of both the Danish and Greek Royal Families.

Prince Phillip would be educated in German, France and the United Kingdom, including two terms at Gordonstoun in Scotland.

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Prince Phillip joined the Royal Navy. He would become one of the youngest First Lieutenants in the history of the Royal Navy. For his actions during the war he would be Mentioned in dispatches, and would receive both the Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the Greek War Cross.

Prince Phillip would remain in the Royal Navy until 1952 when the Queen ascended the Throne, retiring as Commander. In later years he would be granted the titles of Admiral of the Fleet (1953) and Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom (2011).

Prince Phillip is most well known as the husband and consort of Queen Elizabeth II. They were married on November 20th, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Prior to his marriage he was granted the Royal Highness after he renounced his place in the line of succession for the Danish and Greek Crowns. He was also made Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich on the day of his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth.

Together they had four children: Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales; Princess Anne, The Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Prince Phillip would be made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957.

He was the longest surviving consort in the history of the United Kingdom, since the Queen’s ascension in 1952. Prince Phillip would be very active as a consort, including the starting of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and was the patron of over 800 organizations.

Prince Philip was also very active in sports, especially polo and yachting, and then in carriage driving, where he helped to expand the sport and update the rules around it.

Some villages on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu even revered Prince Phillip as a God.

Prince Phillip passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle on the morning of April 9th 2021, two months short of his 100th birthday.

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