Prince Philip’s life in pictures: An officer and a gentleman

Philippos as he was formally registered, was sixth in line to the Greek throne when he was born in 1921 to Princess Alice of Battenberg, pictured holding her only son, and Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, inset. The family was exiled when Philip was just 18 months after Greece’s defeat in the Greco-Turkish War, with the youngster carried to safety in an orange crate. Picture: Supplied

A young Prince Philip poses in traditional Greek costume in an undated photo. After fleeing Greece, his family initially tried to settle in the UK, but with no money were forced to move again to Paris, where they were able to take up residence in a small cottage on an estate belonging to Philip’s uncle and aunt, Prince George of Greece and his wealthy French wife Marie Bonaparte. Picture: UPI

Philip, front, smiles for the camera as he takes part in a play at school in Paris – an image that belies the ongoing troubles in his childhood. At the age of nine, his mother was committed to a psychiatric clinic, and his father walked out, leaving him in the care of her relatives. His sisters, meanwhile, wed and moved to Germany. “The family broke up,” he was later quoted as saying. “My mother was ill, my sisters were married, my father was in the south of France. I just had to get on with it. You do. One does.” Picture: UPI

Philip was eventually packed off to England, where he was looked after by his uncle George Mountbatten, second Marquess of Milford Haven, and attended Gordonstoun school in Scotland, where he is pictured in costume for his role as Donalbain in a production of Macbeth. But tragedy followed tragedy for the then teenager; his pregnant sister Cecile and her family died in a plane crash in 1937, and the following year his father figure George succumbed to cancer. “As a boy, Prince Philip lost everybody and he became very self-reliant but he has spent a lifetime blocking it out,” said biographer Gyles Brandreth. Picture: Getty

After George Mountbatten’s death, his younger brother Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten took responsibility for Philip and soon had designs on him making a good marriage to a certain Princess, but in the meantime encouraged his young charge to build a career in the Royal Navy. Philip joined up ahead of World War II – finding himself fighting for Britain as two of his sisters’ husbands fought for Germany. Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty

Philip famously made an impression on a teenage Princess Elizabeth when the Royal family visited the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, and remained in contact with her throughout his distinguished war service. He served in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, securing the rank of first lieutenant in 1942 at the age of 21. Towards the end of the war he served with the British Pacific Fleet on HMS Whelp, which visited Melbourne in 1945, where this rare shot of a bearded Philip was taken. Picture: AP

In 1946, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were bridesmaids at the wedding of Louis’ daughter Patricia and were photographed walking to the service with their parents and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, far right. The end of the war meant the sweethearts could finally spend time together, and Philip’s MG sports car became a familiar sight at Buckingham Palace. In June 1946, he wrote to Elizabeth, apologising for the “monumental cheek” of turning up unannounced. “Yet however contrite I feel there is always a small voice that keeps saying ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ — well did I venture and I gained a wonderful time.”

Princess Elizabeth poses with her husband-to-be, parents and sister in the state apartments at Buckingham Palace for an official photo to mark her engagement in July 1947. Their marriage in November that year marked the start of a long partnership in which Philip steadfastly supported his wife at thousands of events at home and abroad. Picture: Getty

The newlyweds wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their marriage at Westminster Abbey. Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich on the morning of the wedding, but would not be granted the title of a British prince until ten years later in 1957. Picture: AP

Philip returned to the Navy after his honeymoon – including a 1949 posting in Malta, pictured – and rose to the rank of commander over the next five years. But his career came to a sudden halt in February 1952 when King George VI died and Elizabeth became Queen. Celebrating his 90th birthday, years later, Philip reflected on the “disappointing” loss of his Naval career. “I had just been promoted to commander and the fact was that the most interesting part of my naval career was just starting,” he said. “But then equally, if I stopped and thought about it, being married to the Queen, it seemed to me my first duty was to serve her in the best way I could.” The Queen marked that landmark birthday by making her husband Lord High Admiral – the titular head of the Royal Navy and a post she had previously held. Picture: Getty

The Queen, Prince Philip and a young Charles and Anne are captured in a fun shot at Balmoral Castle in September 1952 – still nine months out from the Queen’s Coronation. At that ceremony, Philip would be the first to swear allegiance to the Queen, declaring himself her “liege man of life and limb”, but the public show of unity hid Philip’s behind-the-scenes fury that the Royal family would continue to be known as the House of Windsor – and not take his adopted surname, Mountbatten. “I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba,” he is said to have complained. Picture: Getty

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Australia in 1954 as part of an ambitious Commonwealth tour that began the previous year, and are pictured on HMAS Australia at sea off Townsville. Biographer A N Wilson wrote “there were occasions when the Queen was going through the motions” and describes how the Duke of Edinburgh tried to keep up her spirits as she scowled through the heat in Australia, urging her to: “Cheer up, sausage, it’s not so bad as all that.” Picture: Getty

Prince Philip travelled to Melbourne – without the Queen – on the <i>Royal Yacht Britannia</i> in 1956 to open the Olympic Games. Aussie swimming star Dawn Fraser – who won two golds – was on hand to capture his visit to the Olympic Village. But while the trip was an undoubted success Down Under, there were concerns back home, and the lengthy separation was addressed in a Palace statement: “It is quite untrue that there is a rift between the Queen and the Duke.” Picture: AP

Prince Philip travelled to Melbourne – without the Queen – on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1956 to open the Olympic Games. Aussie swimming star Dawn Fraser – who won two golds – was on hand to capture his visit to the Olympic Village. But while the trip was an undoubted success Down Under, there were concerns back home, and the lengthy separation was addressed in a Palace statement: “It is quite untrue that there is a rift between the Queen and the Duke.” Picture: AP

Prince Philip takes the tiller of his yacht <i>Bluebottle</i> before competing with his friend Uffa Fox at the 1960 Cowes sailing regatta. Actress Joanna Lumley – who has known Philip for years has talked up his action man credentials, saying he could have been James Bond. “I think he’s just an extraordinary character, he rides, sails, drives horses, fishes, swims,” she said. “He really could have been Bond and he was a naval commander as well like Commander Bond.” Picture: AP

Prince Philip takes the tiller of his yacht Bluebottle before competing with his friend Uffa Fox at the 1960 Cowes sailing regatta. Actress Joanna Lumley – who has known Philip for years has talked up his action man credentials, saying he could have been James Bond. “I think he’s just an extraordinary character, he rides, sails, drives horses, fishes, swims,” she said. “He really could have been Bond and he was a naval commander as well like Commander Bond.” Picture: AP

In September 1960, Prince Philip and the Queen pose at Balmoral with their children Anne and Charles and a six-month-old Prince Andrew. Under a declaration by the Privy Council this year, it was agreed the couple’s descendants could use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Picture: AFP

In 1961, Philip escorted the Queen on her first visit to India, with visits to Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and Delhi, pictured. More controversial was a three-day hunt hosted by the Maharajah of Jaipur, during which the Duke of Edinburgh shot a tiger and a crocodile. The Prince’s passion for shooting – despite his Presidency of the World Wide Fund for Nature – has extended to boar hunts in Germany and regular shooting parties at Sandringham – estimated in 1996 to have killed 150,000 pheasants over two decades. Picture: Getty

Philip was a keen polo player up until the age of 50, and is pictured here competing in a match at Flowerfield in the Yarra Valley during a 1961 visit to Australia. Ingrid Seward, of Majesty magazine, noted the Iron Duke’s active lifestyle as the media marked his 90th birthday. “He is a man who has always looked after himself and taken care of his body,” she said. “He’s someone who enjoys physical activity and he’s incredibly physically fit. He’s very careful about what he eats. If he puts on any weight at all, he will make sure he loses it.”

Prince Philip talks to Christine Hancock, 15, of Magill, South Australia, after a canoeing display by the Magill Girls Brigade during a 1973 event celebrating the Duke of Edinburgh Award. First established in the UK in 1956, the youth program has expanded to more than 140 countries, including Australia, and despite his stalwart support for many charities, is arguably his greatest legacy. “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has helped countless young people on their sometimes difficult path to adulthood,” Philip says on the organisation’s website. On the official royal website, Briton Jon Watts tells how he turned his life around after embarking on the scheme as a young man in prison. “Taking part in the DofE saved my life,” the now chef says. “It unlocked my potential, gave me the tools to succeed.”

Prince Philip walks with Princess Diana at the Epsom Derby in June 1986. Prince Charles’ biographer Sally Bedell Smith has written that Philip was perhaps inadvertently responsible for his son’s ill-fated marriage to Diana, writing in 1981 that “Charles should either propose to her or release her. In either event, he should make a decision shortly”. Charles, she said, interpreted that as an order to get engaged. Philip is also known to have intervened by letter as the couple’s marriage disintegrated – this time writing regularly to Diana. At one point, he wrote: “If invited, I will always do my utmost to help you and Charles to the best of my ability. But I am quite ready to concede that I have no talent as a marriage counsellor!!!” Diana replied: “Dearest Pa, I was particularly touched by your most recent letter, which proved to me, if I did not already know it, that you really do care … I hope to be able to draw on your advice in the months ahead, whatever they may bring.” Picture: Getty

Prince Philip makes an appearance for the World Wide Fund for Nature in Brisbane in 1990. The Duke of Edinburgh was patron or president of some 800 organisations – an impressive tally that was acknowledged by many when he announced his retirement in 2017. The WWF’s UK chief executive praised his “invaluable” dedication and efforts “visiting projects in over 50 countries on five continents”. The British Heart Foundation noted his “unwavering support” over more than 50 years. And the Very Rev Professor Iain Torrance, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, saluted “our witty and eagle-eyed Duke of Edinburgh, wearing his kilt in Deeside, unmatched in his promotion of the many organisations for which he is patron”.

The death of Princess Diana in 1997 saw the Royal family face unprecedented criticism from the public for what was seen as an unfeeling response. Biographer Gyles Brandreth though believes that “as grandparents, Philip and Elizabeth did their best by their grandsons that week”. In Philip & Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage he notes Philip’s support for the two boys at the funeral procession, during which Prince Charles and Diana’s brother Earl Spencer were to walk behind the gun carriage bearing Diana’s coffin. “Prince Harry and, in particular, Prince William were uncertain as to whether or not they wanted to walk behind the coffin, too. Prince Philip, who had not planned to walk, said to William, ‘If I walk, will you walk with me?’” Picture: AFP

The Queen and Prince Philip lead the annual procession of members of the Order of the Garter from Windsor Castle to St. George’s Chapel in 1998. As well as being a Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and controversially since 2015, a Knight of the Order of Australia, the Duke of Edinburgh was granted numerous honours, decorations and medals from countries both inside and outside the Commonwealth. His ceremonial military positions included Field Marshal of the Australian Army and Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Australian Navy, and he was awarded Freedom of the City around the world, including Melbourne. Picture: AP

A 1999 photo from Balmoral shows the Queen and Prince Philip with their four adult children and five of their grandchildren – Harry, William, Zara Phillips and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. With the Royals still trying to rebuild support after a difficult decade – and lingering antipathy towards Charles over the breakdown of his marriage – Australia was this year battling with the very question of the monarchy’s role ahead of the republic referendum. That the push for a republic was rejected might be seen as a much-needed boost for the Queen, but Philip was typically brusque on the subject. “What’s the matter with these people? Can’t they see what’s good for them?”, he said.

Prince Philip enjoys a glass of beer at J Boag and Son in Launceston in 2000. Offered fine wine at a dinner with Italian PM Giuliano Amato in Rome the same year, Philip is famously said to have roared: “Get me a beer. I don’t care what kind it is, just get me a beer!” The incident regular appears on lists of Philip’s gaffes, but Philip doesn’t seem to mind, joking during an address to the General Dental Council that: “Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it, a science which I have practised for a good many years.” On another occasion, noting the adulation of the Queen early in her reign, he said he made a conscious decision not to play to the gallery. “Safer not to be too popular. You can’t fall too far.”

In 2003, the Royals were marking the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Elizabeth posed with Philip and her heirs, Charles and William, at Clarence House in London before a dinner to mark the milestone. While it was the Queen’s role that was being celebrated, there can be no doubt of Philip’s contribution as “general manager of Royal Family Inc”. From the beginning of her reign he was a modernising influence, challenging traditions at the Palace and pushing for the Royal Family to be less austere. Philip Eade, author of Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life writes: “He determined to act as Elizabeth’s ‘eyes and ears’, getting around the country, visiting factories and coal mines, broadening her experience by proxy and keeping her informed about public opinion.” Picture: AP

The Duke of Edinburgh rides on his mini motorbike during the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2005. Over his lifetime, the Prince pursued many hobbies, from painting and birdwatching to design and writing. Former royal librarian Lady Jane Roberts said: “He is a many faceted man with huge energy and a diversity of different interests.” Philip has even been quoted as saying: “It’s the secret of a happy marriage to have different interests.” Picture: Getty

The Queen and Prince Philip inspect the troops outside Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour to mark her official birthday in 2009. In April that year, Philip officially became Britain’s longest serving consort, overtaking the record previously held by Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, of 57 years and 70 days. In a 1992 interview with The Independent, Philip admitted it was not the life he would have chosen. “It was not my ambition to be president of the Mint Advisory Committee. I didn’t want to be president of WWF. I was asked to do it,” he said. “I’d much rather have stayed in the Navy, frankly.” However, former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter told News Corp Australia the Queen, herself, “made clear she couldn’t have done the job without his support and wise counsel”.

The Queen and Prince Philip greet then US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace ahead of a state banquet in May 2011. The following month, as he marked his 90th birthday, Philip talked about stepping back from public life. “I reckon I’ve done my bit so I want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say,” he told the BBC. “On top of that, your memory’s going – I can’t remember names and things.” Picture: AP

2012 saw celebrations across Britain for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, with huge crowds braving driving rain to watch a pageant on the Thames, featuring the Queen’s barge. Prince Philip, who braved the bad weather for hours with the Queen, was taken to hospital the next day and diagnosed with a bladder infection. Recalling the health scare, which saw him admitted to hospital for nearly a week, Ingrid Seward, of Majesty, wrote: “When he was taken to hospital from Windsor Castle, the Queen looked at him and said, ‘Don’t you die on me’. Ever supportive throughout the milestone celebrations, he replied, ‘Of course I won’t. Not until this is all over anyway!’” Picture: Getty

Prince Philip discovered a passion for carriage driving after giving up polo at the age of 50 and kept up the sport into old age, writing in 2004 that while “my reactions are getting slower and my memory is unreliable … I have not lost the sheer pleasure of driving a team through the British countryside”. This picture was taken 10 years later at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, the scene of one of the most memorable moments from his competing days: “Turning over here in the water.” In fact, Philip recalled his usual carriage – the Balmoral dogcart – “got smashed up regularly” and had to be rebuilt every year. Picture: Getty

Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer was invited to Windsor Castle to see the Queen present her husband with the Insignia of a Knight of the Order of Australia in April 2015. Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s “captain’s call” earlier that year to award the Australian knighthood was widely derided in Australia, dubbed a “knightmare” in the press and contributed to the PM’s downfall. But a new take on the story came from The Australian’s Greg Sheridan who wrote that Abbott was trying to do a favour for the Queen. “Abbott gave Philip a knighthood because he learned the Queen wanted her husband to have one,” he said. “The Queen’s son, Prince Charles, had a number of Australian honours but Philip had not been so richly rewarded by Australia.” Picture: AFP

A then 94 year old Prince Philip raised a laugh at an official opening in March 2016, telling spectators: “I hope you realise what you’re about to see now is the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler in action.” The Prince was on hand to name the “Prince Philip Barracks” – the new home of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers at MOD Lyneham. Philip is Colonel-in-Chief of the Army unit, but was still “very flattered” that the barracks was taking his name. “I only hope it’s on there somewhere,” he joked again before unveiling the plaque. Picture: Getty

On May 4, 2017 – just a few weeks before his 96th birthday – it was announced that Prince Philip would “no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year”. That same day, the Prince demonstrated that while he was slowing down, his wit was as quick as ever. When a guest at an event at St James’ Palace told the Duke, “I’m sorry to hear you’re standing down”, the Prince shot back: “Well I can’t stand up much longer.” Prime Minister Theresa May offered the gratitude of the country, saying: “From his steadfast support for Her Majesty the Queen to his inspirational Duke of Edinburgh Awards and his patronage of hundreds of charities and good causes, his contribution to our United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the wider world will be of huge benefit to us all for years to come.” Picture: AFP

Prince Philip bows out, retiring on August 2, 2017 at a Royal Marines parade, the last of 22,219 solo public engagements since the Queen ascended to the throne. Picture: AFP

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