Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2021) Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Friday.
The royal family said that Philip "passed away peacefully" on Friday morning at Windsor Castle, three weeks after he was released from King Edward VII Hospital in London. During his stay in hospital, the Duke of Edinburgh underwent a successful procedure for a heart condition.
In a Downing Street statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson passed on his condolences to Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family.
"We mourn today with Her Majesty The Queen. We offer our condolences to her and all her family, and we give thanks as a nation and a kingdom for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," Johnson said.
The prime minister also praised the Duke of Edinburgh for helping to "steer" the royal family so that it remains an "indisputably vital" institution for the United Kingdom, adding that Philip had "earned the affection of generations" in the country and the Commonwealth.
Below is a brief biography of the Duke of Edinburgh's life.
Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu as a prince into the Greek and Danish royal families on June 10, 1921.
His parents fled to France when he was just 18 months old following the abdication of King Constantine I of Greece in 1922.
Prince Philip was sent to educational pioneer Kurt Hahn's Schule Schloss Salem in Germany in 1933.
Hahn is eventually forced to flee Germany due to the rise of Nazism, and establishes Gordonstoun School in Scotland, and Prince Philip transfers to this school for the remainder of his education.
Philip left Gordonstoun in 1939, on the eve of World War II. He became a cadet at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, and is eventually transferred to the HMS Valiant battleship in 1941. He was made a full lieutenant in 1942.
During World War II, Philip took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan and was also present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender in 1945.
During the conflict, Philip regularly stayed with the royal family, and in 1946, he asks Princess Elizabeth's father, King George VI, for her hand in marriage. Their engagement was announced officially on July 9.
In 1947, Philip marries Princess Elizabeth, the future monarch, at a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. Following their marriage, the pair move to the Mediterranean island of Malta, where Philip had been posted by the Royal Navy.
Prince Charles, the couple's first child, was born in 1948. Two years later, in 1950, their second child, Princess Anne, is born.
Elizabeth assumes the throne in 1952, following the death of King George VI.
Philip embarks on a landmark tour of the Commonwealth in 1956 without the Queen. He is given the title of Duke of Edinburgh one year later, and the popular award scheme bearing his name is created. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme has since been expanded throughout the world, to more than 140 countries.
In 1960, the couple's third child, Prince Andrew, is born.
Philip was a known environmentalist throughout his life and was appointed the first-ever president of the World Wide Fund for Nature in 1961. He holds this position until 1982, and throughout his life, the Duke of Edinburgh was a patron of roughly 800 national and international organizations.
Prince Edward, the couple's fourth and final child, is born in 1964.
In 1982, Prince Philip becomes a grandfather following the birth of Prince William, the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
In 1995, Prince Philip joined other veterans of the British Army's Far East campaign in World War II by marching past the Queen on Pall Mall to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Japanese surrender.
Prince Philip in 2002 makes a public denial of news reports that he sent Diana, Princess of Wales, insulting letters. Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
In 2009, Prince Philip became the longest-serving royal consort in UK history.
In 2011, at age 90, the Duke of Edinburgh underwent successful treatment for a blocked coronary artery. He also announces that he will reduce his workload as a result of his advanced age.
In May 2017, the then-96-year-old announced that he will no longer participate in public events. According to estimates, he carried out more than 22,000 public engagements during his time as a member of the royal family.
In the same year, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
Prince Philip was involved in a car crash in January 2019. He escaped unhurt despite his Land Rover overturning in the incident close to the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
In February 2021, Philip was admitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure after he reportedly felt unwell. He underwent a successful medical procedure for a heart condition and also received treatment for an infection.
Prince Philip leaves behind four children, eight grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
Flags across the UK and the Commonwealth are being flown at half-mast to commemorate the Duke of Edinburgh's death.
