Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on June 10, 1921; the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His maternal grandfather, Prince Louis, became a naturalized British subject in 1868, joined the Royal Navy and rose to become an Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord in 1914. During the First World War he changed the family name to Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Milford Haven. Prince Philip adopted the family name of Mountbatten when he became a naturalized British subject and renounced his Royal title in 1947.
Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1939. He completed his initial training at RNC Dartmouth and in 1940, joined the battleship HMS RAMILLIES in Colombo as a Midshipman and spent the following six months in the Indian Ocean. In January 1941 he joined the battleship HMS VALIANT in Alexandria.
Having qualified for promotion to Sub-Lieutenant, he returned home and, after taking a series of technical courses, was appointed to the destroyer HMS WALLACE based at Rosyth for convoy escort duties on the east coast. He was promoted to Lieutenant on July 16, 1942 and in October he was appointed First Lieutenant (second in command) of WALLACE at the age of 21. In July 1943, WALLACE took part in the Allied landings on Sicily. After further courses, he was appointed as First Lieutenant of the new Fleet Destroyer HMS WHELP, which was then building on the Tyne. After commissioning, WHELP joined the 27th Destroyer Flotilla and sailed for the Indian Ocean to join the British Pacific Fleet. WHELP was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender. WHELP returned home in January 1946.
After instructing in the Petty Officers' School and attending the Naval Staff College at Greenwich, he was appointed First Lieutenant of HMS CHEQUERS in 1949. CHEQUERS was Leader of the First Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean Fleet. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in 1950 and then appointed in command of the Frigate HMS MAGPIE. In 1952 he was promoted to Commander, but his naval career came to an end on the death of his father-in-law, King George VI.
The engagement of Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten to Princess Elizabeth was announced in July 1947 and the marriage took place in Westminster Abbey on November 20. Shortly before the wedding, the bridegroom was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich and appointed a Knight of the Garter by the king. The queen and Prince Philip had two children before and two after the queen succeeded to the throne.
The Duke of Edinburgh's maternal grandfather married one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters making Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip both have Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. They are also related through his father's side. His paternal grandfather, King George I of Greece, was Queen Alexandra's brother.
Since his wife's accession, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is patron or president of some 800 organizations, has played a prominent part in many aspects of national life. His special interests are in scientific and technological research and development, the encouragement of sport, the welfare of young people, and conservation and the environment.
The Duke of Edinburgh accompanies the queen on all her Commonwealth tours and State Visits overseas, as well as on tours and visits to all parts of the United Kingdom. He has also traveled abroad a great deal on his own account. In 1999 he undertook around 442 engagements without The Queen in the UK and abroad.
In April 1952 The Queen created The Duke of Edinburgh a Knight of the Thistle. The following September she declared by Royal Warrant that he had 'place, pre-eminence and precedence' next to herself 'on all occasions and in all meetings, except where otherwise provided by Act of Parliament'. In February 1957 it was announced that The Queen had granted to The Duke of Edinburgh the style and dignity of a Prince of the United Kingdom, and that in future he would be known as 'The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.' On his 47th birthday, in June 1968, she appointed him to the Order of Merit.
The Duke of Edinburgh holds many foreign decorations and has received Honorary Degrees from a number of universities.
