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.

A Princely Penny

It seems unlikely but being royal by blood doesn’t always pay particularly well. At the time of his marriage, Philip reportedly only had only 12 pence in his bank account. Oh, how times have changed!

Philip and Elizabeth Are Cousins

In a rather shocking revelation, it has come to light that Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II are actually related! This isn’t an uncommon practise amongst the royals. The previous Queen Victoria married her cousin, known to us as Prince Albert. Philip and the Queen are related as third cousins through Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Through another royal connection, they are also second cousins (once removed).

The longest-lasting couple

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II have had a successful and stable marriage of 70 years, and are in fact the longest-lasting married couple of any British ruler and their consort. Additionally, the married couple have actually been together and in love for longer than that. It looks as though the love between Prince Willian and Kate Middleton could give his grandmother and father a go for their money but they would both need to live to be over 100 years old to earn the title!

Fleeing to Florence

During 1919, when the Turkish war with Greece broke out, Prince Philip’s family found themselves in hot water. The prince was born into Greek and Danish Royal families. During the war, King Constantine I, who was his Uncle, was forced to abdicate his throne. Prince Andrew, Philip’s father was then arrested and the family soon knew that had no ther option but to flee the country. Their choice to escape to France meant that their family then became royal exiles. Just a baby at the time, Philip was smuggled into the country by being hidden in a wooden fruit box.

Official retirement

On 2nd August 2017 Prince Philip retired from his many public duties after almost 70 years of service. He had a staggering amount of solo engagements under his belt with a total of 22,219. Price Philip’s much-deserved retirement came after his 96th birthday. It seems the Queen is also taking a notable step back from the public eye and leaving the more demanding appearances to her son and grandsons.

He identifies as Danish

Growing up Prince Philip spoke fluent English, French and German. After his family had to flee from Greece, they moved in with Philip’s aunt, Princess George of Greece and Denmark, who lived in Paris. It was there that he had a Danish upbringing. Following his retirement, a hyperrealistic portrait of the prince was painted and put on display in Denmark at Frederiksborg castle.

Thousands of speeches

Prince Philip is the longest-serving royal consort in British history. Even though he is not king himself, and is classed as a Consort, this doesn’t change the way he must represent the Royal family at masses of royal events and public appearances. Prince Philip has given around 5,496 speeches throughout his time. A big passion of his is looking after the environment and gave many speeches on this as he belongs to 800 organizations involving conservation.

But why isn’t he king?

We know that Prince Philip was born into a royal family and officially wed then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. At this time, he gave up both of his titles on their official wedding day. It wasn’t possible for him to received the title of King or even simply Prince and he was instead named Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Here’s the reason why: In the UK, a reigning Queen’s husband is known as a prince consort, regardless of any titles he may hold. As he was a foreigner, he wasn’t able to become a king consort.

Did We Put Power Moves on the Wedding Registry?

For their wedding, Mahatma Gandhi sent the royal couple a wedding gift of cotton lace with the embroidered words “Jai Hind” which means “Victory for India.” He had spun the piece himself. Philip’s mother-in-law thought it was a loincloth and unknowingly called it an “indelicate” gesture.

Born Photographers

The royal pair have always had great style. This beautiful and rare image from Vanity Fair magazine, shows the young couple out for the day, while the curious young Queen makes use of her new camera.

He’s also an author

With his overwhelming passion for the environment, Prince Philip has penned many books on the subject. In between all of his royal duties, several of his works include, Survival or Extinction: A Christian Attitude to the Environment, and Birds from Britannia. In total, he has impressively authored 14 published works!

His love for being at sea

Queen Elizabeth II has a wealth of artworks and British buildings dedicated to her, one being the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was built in 1952. Following his time in the navy, Prince Philip was the most excited about the new vessel and it wasn’t long until he was making plans on where to take the luxurious yacht.

Well, One of Us Had to Do It

From 1956 to 1957, Philip made a worldwide trip on the HMY Britannia. He became the first royal person on record to cross the Antarctic Circle.

He thinks he’s a comedian

Itis vital as a member of the Royal family that you are meticulous and careful with how you speak when you are in public. The royal family is expected to present themselves in a certain way. Unfortunately, there has been more than one occasion where Prince Philip’s choice of words has raised eyebrows. In 2002, while visiting Australia, he asked, “Do you still throw spears at each other?” Most people just put his offensive comments down to old age.

The first royal to fly

Flying is another one of Prince Philip’s loves. The determined royal ensured he would be able to fly a plane in 1953 when he earned his pilots wings after successfully finishing three landings and solo circuits.

Time with his children

After 30 harrowing hours of labour, Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to Prince Charles in 1948. At this time, Prince Philip made little adjustment to his daily routine despite his son’s arrival. When speculating over the nature of the relationship between father and son, a friend of the family once said “When he needed a father, there just wasn’t anybody there.”

The life as a consort

Unable to have the sought-after title of a King, Prince Philip has remained a consort throughout his time as a royal family member – even though he was indeed born into 2 royal families. When a new King or Queen takes reign, the royal house must be given a name. Under usual circumstances a royal home would bear the husband’s name. However, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Queen Mary decided the house would take Elizabeth’s name and was subsequently called the House of Windsor.

A strong relationship

After 70 years, the couple is still committed to one another. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have had a long marriage, and four children. In 2012, while giving a speech at her Diamond Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II said Philip is her “constant strength and guide.” Through all the highs and low’s of the Queen’s reign, the couple has remained strong.

Prince Philip Quit Smoking On Their Wedding Day

Long before she earned her title, the British people were very fond of Elizabeth and were particularly captivated her since her crowning was imminent. Philip and Elizabeth’s wedding was a major moment in UK history. The wedding would now mean that Prince Philip would become a member of the royal family – it was also this day that he decided to make a life-changing decision. As a wedding gift, Prince Philip promised to stop smoking cigarettes as a gesture for his beloved bride.

Philip’s Mother Was Diagnosed With Schizophrenia

Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother of Prince Philip and to her son’s devastation, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was just a young boy. Princess Alice moved to Switzerland when she was committed to a mental health hospital, Philip was just nine years old and following this, he then had little contact with her. His mother believed she was she receiving messages from a divine source before she was institutionalized.

Philip is a great dresser

With all eyes on him and his tiara-wearing wife, Prince Philip has accrued a vast wardrobe over his 70 years of service.  From the very beginning of his public service, people have gushed over the prince ever-elegant attire. Even one of the worlds top men’s fashion magazines, GQ, ranked him the 33rd best dressed man in the UK.

A skilled carriage rider

Prince Philip opted for a new hobby telling the Daily Mail, “I started driving because I’d been playing polo, and I decided I’d give up polo when I was 50. I was looking round to see what next, I didn’t know what there was available. And I suddenly thought, well, we’ve got horses and carriages so why don’t I have a go.” After his 50th birthday, Prince Philip took up the sport of carriage racing.

Love from a young age

In 1939, then Prince Philip of Greece and Princess Elizabeth were playing tennis in Devon, a seaside town in the United Kingdom. It was here that they first met each other on the tennis courts. Elizabeth was just 13 years yet she was instantly smitten with Philip from their first meeting. He was 18 at the time. The pair stayed in contact and ‘courted’ one another. Philip was invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Windsor in 1943. Her father, King George VI, told the couple they had to wait until Elizabeth turned 21 years old to wed.

German ties after the war

With the excitement of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth’s wedding, there was some uncertainty of Philips side regarding his family. It wasn’t too long after the war that they were going to get married. Prince Philips sisters were married to two German princes and were in turn, German. With the effects of war still present in the minds of the British people, neither of his sisters were invited to the wedding. Little money was spent on the wedding as the country was still recovering from the war.

Royal Recycling

Philip used the diamonds from his mother’s tiara to make Elizabeth’s engagement ring. With the jewels left over, he also fashioned her a wedding bracelet.

His love for traveling

Prince Philip has always had a love for travel and adventure. With duties of royal engagements, Philip’s role matched perfectly with his lust for new places, people and experiences. Whether he was traveling on his own, or accompanying Queen Elizabeth on one of her many tours, the Prince has indeed travelled the world. For their honeymoon, the pair took the traditional post-wedding trip to Scotland staying at the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire. During the 50’s, the pair traveled a lot visiting Malta, Washington, Niagra and Kenya. As well as visiting Canada where they met with a group of Native American chiefs.

Diana Causing A Rift

When it became clear that Diana had given interviews for Andrew Morton’s infamous biography, which exposed the misery of her marriage in searing and unashamed detail, Philip was incensed. As always, Philip articulated his views forcefully and accused the Queen of ‘procrastinating’ on the question of whether Charles and Diana should divorce.

Marital Woes

Prince Philip, for his part, decided to voice his opinion. First, he tried to talk to Charles about his marital difficulties and the effect they were having on the royal institution and the country at large. Philip then asked his wife to bring her considerable authority to bear on an increasingly senseless situation, but she refused to intervene in the personal matter. He also tried reaching out to his clearly unhappy daughter-in-law by handwriting her dozens of letters.

Grandfatherly Advice

Amidst the royal family’s polarizing response to Princess Diana’s devastating death in 1997, it was Philip who convinced her sons to walk behind her coffin. While young Princes William and Harry were apprehensive, Philip reportedly told his eldest grandson, “If you don’t walk, I think you’ll regret it later. If I walk, will you walk with me?” In a now-iconic image, Philip, William, Harry, Charles, and Diana’s brother followed the bier.

 

Prince Philip the artist

The Duke of Edinburgh has always been known for his love of fine art yet little do most people know, he is indeed an artist himself. In 1965, he painted a picture of the Queen, in her natural state which is fittingly named ‘The Queen at Breakfast, Windsor Castle’ – the painting sits within his private collection. The pictures shows us an intimate glimpse into the Queen’s life.