7 Surprising Facts About Prince Philip
7 Surprising Facts About Prince Philip
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully at the age of 99
On Nov. 20, 1997, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. In a speech at a lunch honouring the occasion, Queen Elizabeth said, “[Prince Philip] is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.” The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were married for over 73 years, up until Prince Philips passing at the age of 99 in April 2021, but for their duration of their marriage, he was known as a constant source of support to both the queen and their immediate family, though he had a reputation of being a bit brusque publicly.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in December 1958.
1. He had a rough childhood.
Born on June 10, 1921, to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, Prince Philip’s early life was full of turmoil. “Unlike Queen Elizabeth, whose family was very stable and united, Prince Philip as an infant had to flee Greece with his parents and four sisters,” says Harris. When Philip was nine years old, his mother, was committed to a mental institution in Switzerland and his father took off with a mistress. Their only son was sent to boarding school in England and “was shuffled from relative to relative during holidays,” says Harris.
2. Queen Elizabeth is his third cousin.
Five years her senior, Prince Philip met Queen Elizabeth in 1939 when she was just 13. “He gave her a tour of the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, and she was impressed with him from the start,” says Harris. They became pen pals, and seven years later, Philip asked King George VI for his daughter’s hand in marriage. They married when Elizabeth was 21, after waiting a year at the King’s request.
3. Philip had to define his own role.
As depicted in The Crown, the former Navy man struggled with filling his time after his wife started her reign in 1952. “Philip did not have many role models — there weren’t many queens then — so he had to carve out his own role,” says Harris. Along with undertaking patronages for more than 800 different charities, Philip took the lead in managing the queen’s personal properties and assumed a leadership role in the family, including deciding how their children, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and Princess Anne, were educated.
A few years prior to his death, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip was stepping down royal public duties in the fall. While he still served as patron, president or a member of 780 organizations, he no longer had “an active role.”
The Wedding Dress in ‘The Crown’ Cost $30K
4. He’s forward-thinking.
In The Crown, Prince Philip was in favour of his wife’s coronation being televised in 1953. “He was interested in technology and modernizing the monarchy,” says Harris. “People around the world were able to engage with the coronation, and it did wonders for the TV industry. Many people bought their first TV just to watch it.” And Prince Philip still favoured technology even well into the aughts: In February of 2017, he toured Vantage Power, which designs hybrid bus engines, and reminded them that he drove one of the first electric cars in the 1960s.
5. He has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth.
While Queen Elizabeth is expected to be above politics and is careful with what she says, Prince Philip was outspoken through the years. “He’s spoken frankly that the purpose of monarchy is to serve the people, not the other way around,” says Harris. He’s also known for making jokes that are sometimes offensive. In The Crown, for example, he told an African king he liked his “hat.” (It was a crown.) “When he was younger, the things he said were more controversial,” says Harris. “In his 90s, people had a more indulgent attitude toward Prince Philip.” When he met activist Malala Yousafzai in 2013 to discuss the importance of education, he quipped that in Britain, “People want children to go to school to get them out of the house.” Yousafzai giggled.
6. He was involved in one very big scandal.
After Princess Diana died in a car crash in August 1997, Egyptian business magnate Mohamed Fayed, whose son Dodi Fayed was involved romantically with Diana and was also killed in the crash, claimed that Prince Philip ordered Diana’s death. “There have been extensive investigations concerning the death of Diana, and those allegations of foul play have never been substantiated,” says Harris.
7. His love story with the Queen was real.
Although Prince Philip has allegedly strayed from his marriage throughout the years, it seems the rumours are unfounded. “Prince Philip was flirtatious, but all the women have denied affairs,” Harris points out. The royal duo, who celebrates their 70th anniversary in November, is believed to still take afternoon tea together every day. As Prince Philip said nearly 20 years ago during a toast to his wife at their Golden Wedding Anniversary, “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.”
