Fascinating Facts You Need To Know About Prince Philip

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, met his future with and the Queen of England when he was just 18 years old. They have since been together for over 70 years. Despite his long-standing title, there are a few skeletons in his closet you may not have expected…

The Queens Nickname

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II have been married for an outstanding seven decades. Dame Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II in the movie The Queen. The now-iconic film features the Queen’s unlikely nickname given to her by her adoring husband. Filmmaker Peter Morgan said, “I inquired in royal circles and was told on very good authority that that is what the Duke sometimes calls the Queen.” In the movie, Prince Philip can be heard fondly calling his wife ‘Sweetie!’

Family Feud

Prince Philip served in the Royal Navy from 1939 until 1952. He graduated from the Royal Navy College in Dartmouth where at just 21 years old he became the first lieutenant of HMS Wallace. During the invasion of Sicily in 1943 Prince Philip courageously saved his ship from attack. Not long after he joined the Navy, while on a tour in 1939 he met and fell in love with Elizabeth. Shockingly, when serving in World War II with the British forces, his two brother-in-laws (who were married to his older sisters) were on the opposing German side!

Aristocrat in the Air

Philip, it seems, is quite the adrenaline-junkie. He is the very first member of the British royal family to fly a helicopter.

The Church of Phil

Rather bizarrely, it has been uncovered that Prince Philip is worshipped as a god by a sect of people on the remote island of Tana, Vanuatu. When knowledge of the “Prince Philip Movement” was brought to the consort himself, it was suggested he send them a signed portrait. Philip agreed, and the grateful villagers sent him a pig-killing club in return. He sent them another portrait back, featuring the consort himself posing with the gift.