From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark 10 June 1921 9 April 2021 was a member of the British royal family as the husband of Elizabeth II Philip was born into the Greek and Danish royal families He was born in Greece but his family was exiled from the country when he was eighteen months old After being educated in France Germany and the United Kingdom he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939 aged 18 From July 1939 he began corresponding with the thirteenyearold Princess Elizabeth whom he had first met in 1934 During the Second World War he served with distinction in the Mediterranean and Pacific Fleets After the war Philip was granted permission by George VI to marry Elizabeth Before the official announcement of their engagement in July 1947 he abandoned his Greek and Danish titles and styles and became a naturalised British subject He married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947 Just before the wedding he was granted the style His Royal Highness and created Duke of Edinburgh Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich by King George VI Philip left active military service when Elizabeth became queen in 1952 having reached the rank of commander and was made a British prince in 1957 Philip had four children with Elizabeth Charles Prince of Wales Anne Princess Royal Prince Andrew Duke of York and Prince Edward Earl of Wessex He was the longestserving consort of a reigning British monarch and the longestlived male member of the British royal family He retired from his royal duties on 2 August 2017 aged 96 having completed 22219 solo engagements and 5493 speeches since 1952 Philip died on 9 April 2021 two months before his 100th birthday
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