- Thursday, March 23, 2023
By: Pramod Thomas
HERE are 10 key dates in the life of Britain’s Prince Philip, who died Friday (9) at age 99:
Birth
June 10, 1921: Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark is born on a kitchen table in Corfu. Aged 18 months, he was spirited out of Greece in an orange box when his uncle king Constantine I was forced to abdicate.
School
May 1939: In the run-up to World War II, Philip finishes his schooling at Gordonstoun in Scotland and joins the British navy.
War
September 2, 1945: Philip is present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrender. He was mentioned in dispatches for his service during the war and took part in the battles of Crete and Cape Matapan and the allied invasion of Sicily.
Marriage
November 20, 1947: Philip marries princess Elizabeth, lifting some of the post-war gloom. Distant cousins, they met in 1939 and stayed in touch during the war. Having renounced his Greek and Danish titles, he is created the Duke of Edinburgh shortly before his wedding.
Accession
February 6, 1952: King George VI dies and Princess Elizabeth becomes Queen Elizabeth II while in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour. Philip is forced to abandon his naval career.
Charity
1956: He launches the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, designed to teach youngsters self-reliance and public service. Millions of young people have since taken part.
Anniversary
November 20, 1997: Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. In a rare public tribute, she said: “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments. But he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”
Consort
April 18, 2009: He becomes the longest serving royal consort in British history, overtaking queen Charlotte, the wife of king George III.
Honour
June 10, 2011: The queen makes her husband the Lord High Admiral, the titular head of the British navy, to celebrate his 90th birthday.
Retirement
May 4, 2017: Buckingham Palace announces that Prince Philip will step down from public duties later in the year.
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