By Ahmereen Reza OBE
HRH The Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday at the age of 99, exactly two months and one day short of his 100th birthday.
Prince Philip was born in Corfu, Greece, at villa ‘Mon Repos’, the Greek Royals’ summer home, on 10 June 1921. His father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was the son of King George I of the Hellenes. His mother, Princess Alice, was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse and the Rhine, and Louis Alexander Mountbatten, First Marquess of Milford Haven. He was raised in Great Britain and was educated at Gordonstoun school in Moray, Scotland. He subsequently attended the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth where his two great passions of sailing and leading would shine through.
The Prince first met Princess Elizabeth in 1934, at the wedding of his cousin Princess Marina of Greece to the Duke of Kent. Princess Elizabeth’s cousin Margaret Rhodes later wrote in her autobiography that she “was truly in love from the very beginning.”
The young couple exchanged letters and crossed paths, and the Prince occasionally spent weekends and Christmas at Windsor. He was, according to Princess Elizabeth’s governess Marion Crawford, “always in a hurry to see Lilibet”. The Prince proposed at Balmoral in the summer of 1946 and their wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947.
In the Second World War, Prince Philip was decorated for his service with the Royal Navy. He was mentioned for his bravery, which included manning the HMS Valiant’s searchlights during the 1941 Battle of Matapan. As First Lieutenant of HMS Wallace in 1943, the Prince Philip helped to save his ship from a night bomber attack. His wartime achievements also earned him the Greek War Cross of Valour. Prince Philip continued in active service with the Royal Navy, commanding the frigate Magpie, until Princess Elizabeth’s accession on 6 February 1952. In 2011, to mark his 90th birthday, Elizabeth conferred on him the title and office of lord high admiral, the titular head of the Royal Navy.
The Prince was a keen flyer, earning his RAF wings in 1953, his helicopter wings in 1956 and his private pilot’s license in 1959. During his four-decade-long aviation career, he completed over five thousand hours of flying, and was the first royal to fly out of Buckingham Palace in a helicopter. In 1957, the Duke became the first member of the Royal Family to cross the Antarctic Circle. He became the first royal to give a television interview, when in 1961 he was interviewed by Richard Dimbleby about the Commonwealth Technical Training Week and youth apprenticeships for BBC’s Panorama programme.
Throughout his life, Prince Philip engaged in many philanthropic endeavours. He maintained a keen interest in wildlife conservation, serving as president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from 1981 to 1996, and launched the Duke of Edinburgh Award for school children in 1956 . His International Award programme allowed more than six million young adults to engage in community service, leadership development, and physical fitness activities.
Together with Crown Prince Hassan of Jordan and Sir Evelyn Rothschild, The Duke of Edinburgh some years ago instituted the Inter-Faith Dialogue between the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. This group continues to meet regularly to discuss matters of common interest.
Image: Simon Elliott
The Duke of Edinburgh is a prolific writer on environmental, technological, equestrian and animal subjects. His books include: Selected Speeches 1948-1955 (1957); Birds from Britannia (1962); Down to Earth (1988); and Survival or Extinction: A Christian Attitude to the Environment (1989).
Although he was a Privy Counsellor, the Duke had no other constitutional role. Until 1999, Prince Philip was a member of the House of Lords but never spoke there owing to his proximity to The Queen, who remains politically neutral.
Over six decades of exemplary public service, Prince Philip delivered more than five thousand speeches, visited more than 170 countries and was patron, president or connected with some eight hundred organisations . Most importantly, he will be remembered for his heartfelt devotion to HM the Queen, his family and to our country.
We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to HM The Queen and the Royal Family.