Home > Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Philip Mountbatten), styled HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (born June 10, 1921), is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Originally a Greek citizen, holding the titles of prince of Greece and Denmark, he renounced these titles and his citizenship to marry Elizabeth. He now holds the titles of Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. Philip was also created a British prince and holds the style His Royal Highness.The Duke of Edinburgh is also the patron of many organisations including the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the WWF. He has acquired a reputation in Britain for sometimes making remarks on public visits that seem undiplomatic or inappropriate.
1 Early Life
Prince Philip was born on June 10, 1921 at Mon Repos on the island of Corfu, a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea. His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and DenmarkPrince Andrew of Greece and Denmark ( January 20, 1882 December 3, 1944), of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, was the son of George I (1845-1913), King of the Hellenes, and of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinova (1851-1926) of Russia., the son of Prince George of Denmark (later King George I of GreeceGeorge I ( December 24, 1845 March 18, 1913) was King of the Hellenes ( Greece) from 1863 to 1913 He was born in Copenhagen, the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark and the brother of Alexandra of Denmark (consort of King Edward VII of the United K). His mother was Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (nee Her Serene Highness Princess Alice of BattenbergPrincess Alice of Battenberg later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark ( 25 February 1885 5 December 1969) was a great-granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria who married into the royal house of Greece. She was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of E), the daughter of Prince Louis of BattenbergAdmiral of the Fleet Prince Louis of Battenberg later Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven ( 24 May 1854- 11 September 1921) was a minor German prince who married into the British Royal Family and pursued a distinguished career in the Royal Na and a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Philip's official style at birth was His Royal Highness Prince Philipos of Greece and Denmark.
The Prince and Princess Andrew remained in residence on the island of Corfu for 18 months. Greece was politically unstable, and it was expected that the monarchy would soon be overthrown. On September 22September 22 is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years). There are 100 days remaining. In the Northern Hemisphere autumn begins at 6:23 P. Events 66 Emperor Nero creates the legion I Italica. 1236 Lithuanians and Semigallians beat Livonian Brother, 1922, King Constantine I of Greece was forced to abdicate the throne. A revolutionary court sentenced Prince Andrew to death. Fortunately, King George V of the United Kingdom ordered that a Royal Navy ship evacuate the family, and Prince Philip was carried to safety in a cot made from an orange box.
2 Education
The Prince and Princess Andrew and their children fled to Paris, France, where they took up residence at Saint-Cloud, a villa belonging to Philip's aunt, Marie Bonaparte. After being exiled, the marriage of Prince Philip's parents began to crumble. The Prince Andrew descended into alcoholism and gambling. The Princess Andrew declined into mental instability, religious mania, and subsequent institutionalisation. Afterwards, Prince Philip was to see little of his parents.
Prince Philip's education began at an American school in St Cloud. However, his grandmother, the Princess Louis of Battenberg, advised the Princess Andrew to have him educated in England. He subsequently departed for the Surrey preparatory school Cheam.
Aged twelve, Prince Philip departed England for Germany, studying at Salem, a school in Southern Germany which belonged to one of his brothers-in-law. The school was supervised by the celebrated educational pioneer Kurt Hahn. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Hahn relocated to Scotland where he founded Gordonstoun. Prince Philip also left Germany and went to Gordonstoun where he flourished academically and socially. He was the head of the hockey and cricket teams, and eventually became head boy. Prince Philip was so fond of the school that he later sent HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Prince Andrew and HRH The Prince Edward to Gordonstoun also.
