It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.
He was born as HRH Philip of Greece and Denmark, of the House of Glucksburg. He renounced his Greek and Danish titles in February 1947, in preparation for marrying The Princess Elizabeth, taking the surname of Mountbatten, which had been adopted in 1917 by his mother's family, the Battenbergs.
At the time, he was serving as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in the Royal Navy. He was made a Knight of the Garter by his soon to be father-in-law HM King George VI, and on 19 November 1947, the day before his wedding to The Princess Elizabeth, was created 'Royal Highness' by the King. So, for 24 hours he bore the rather unusual style of HRH Sir Philip Mountbatten.
On the morning of the wedding, 20 November 1947, the King created him Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.
Finally, in 1957, after much debate amongst the Governments of the Commonwealth Realms, his wife, the Queen, granted him the title and style of Prince of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Through his long life, he received too many other orders and decorations to list.
He was a colourful character who was well known for his off-the-cuff remarks. He claimed to have invented a new disease, 'pedodontia' or 'foot-in-mouth disease'. In fact, in honour of his 90th birthday in 2011, the Independent published an article entitled Prince Philip: 90 of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Most Excruciating Comments.
He and the Queen had been married for 73 years. On their 70th anniversary, she is reported to have said that when they were married, people didn't live to celebrate 70 years.
My concern now is for Her Majesty. He first came into her life when she was 13, which means he has been part of it for over 80 years, the last 73 loyally serving by her side. May God give her the health and strength to go on. And may He grant her and the Royal Family consolation in this trying time.
Memory Eternal!
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