Prince Philip Turns 99

Prince Philip celebrated his 99th birthday with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, June 11, 2020.

Prince Philip, whose formal title is The Duke of Edinburgh,  stood for a photo portrait with the Queen that was posted on the Royal Family Facebook Page (see below).  The couple, who have been married for 72 years, posed for the photo in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle.   The Prince and Queen have been in isolation at Windsor since March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Prince Philip’s Personal History (from Wikipedia)

Prince Philip was born in Greece on June 10, 1921.  He born into the Greek and Danish royal families.  Although he was born in Greece,  his family was exiled from the country when he was an infant.  He was educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, then joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18. From July 1939, he began corresponding with the 13-year-old 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 royal titles, became a naturalized British subject, and adopted his maternal grandparents’ surname Mountbatten. He married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947. Just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. Philip left active military service when Elizabeth became queen in 1952, having reached the rank of commander, and was formally made a British prince in 1957.

Philip and Elizabeth have four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. Through a British Order in Council issued in 1960, descendants of the couple not bearing royal styles and titles can use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which has also been used by some members of the royal family who do hold titles, such as Princess Anne, and Princes Andrew and Edward.

A keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He is a patron, president, or member of over 780 organisations. He is the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the oldest ever male member of the British royal family. Philip retired from his royal duties on 2 August 2017, aged 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952.

Queen Elizabeth, who made an Easter address to the nation, and a VE Day address in May, turned 94 last April.