By Roy Bushmann & Chloe-Jasmine Whichello
Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-serving consort in British history and was at the Queen’s side for more than her six decades of reign.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed his death.
Soon after the announcement of Philip’s death, people lined up outside Buckingham Palace to see the official notice that had been attached to the gate. It was removed soon afterward because of concerns that it would attract crowds, violating social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government later issued a statement asking people not to gather or leave flowers outside royal residences around the country to protect public health.
The queen, a very private person not given to extravagant displays of affection, once called him “her rock” in public.
In private, Philip called his wife Lilibet; but he referred to her in conversation with others as “The Queen.”
The queen’s husband, Prince Philip was known for his occasionally deeply offensive remarks — and for gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures and played a prominent part in raising his four children, including his eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.
The duke had suffered failing health in recent years and retired from royal duties in 2017.
Last month, Prince Philip was released from London’s King Edward VII hospital, after being admitted a month before as a “precautionary measure”.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
Prince Philip: A life in pictures
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES / ALAMYimage caption Prince Philip was the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGESimage caption The prince began his education in France at the MacJannet American school in St-Cloud and is seen here (second from left) with his schoolmates. At the age of seven he went to live with his Mountbatten relatives in England, where he attended a prep school in Surrey.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption Later he attended Gordonstoun boarding school, founded by educational pioneer Kurt Hahn in northern Scotland, where he excelled at sport.
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGESimage caption This is believed to be the first time Princess Elizabeth (third from left) and the then naval cadet Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (in the white cap on the far right) were pictured together. It was taken during a visit to the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth on 23 July 1939.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption During World War Two, Prince Philip saw action as a midshipman on the battleship HMS Valiant. When the Italian fleet was trapped off Greece in 1941, Philip commanded the searchlights that illuminated the enemy and he was later mentioned in dispatches.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAHis engagement to Princess Elizabeth was officially announced in July 1947.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption They married on 20 November that year.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT GETTY IMAGESimage caption In 1951 a photographer caught the moment the Duke of Edinburgh jumped off his water skis as he reached the beach at Marmaris in Turkey. It was taken during his last posting as commander of HMS Magpie.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption The prince is seen here playing polo for Cowdray Park in the semi-finals of the Roehampton Cup. He was one of the leading polo players in Britain.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption The duke was also a keen cricketer. Here his team, made up of former England stars, were pitted against one captained by the Duke of Norfolk, with Sussex players.
image caption The duke and Queen had four children, (from left) Edward, Andrew, Anne and Charles, pictured here in the 1960s.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption The couple are seen here during a visit to a farm on their Balmoral estate, to celebrate their Silver Wedding anniversary.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption In 1977 the prince accompanied the Queen as she celebrated her Silver Jubilee. They are seen here both wearing Maori Kahu-Kiwi (Kiwi feather cloaks) at Rugby Park in Gisborne, on the North Island of New Zealand when they attended the opening of the Royal New Zealand Polynesian Festival in February.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption Later that year the royal couple waved as Concorde flew past the Royal Yacht Britannia as they neared Barbados.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption In August 1979 the Queen’s cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA bomb blast on his boat in Ireland. The Duke of Edinburgh returned to the UK after hearing the news, having taken part in a coach-driving championship in Normandy, northern France.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption Nature and conservation were lifelong passions of the Duke of Edinburgh and he seemed a natural choice to become the international president of what was then the World Wildlife Fund.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption In 1985 the Duke of Edinburgh was surrounded by his family, including the young princes William and Harry, as they gathered to watch a flypast over Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption In 1996 the duke escorted the South African President Nelson Mandela as he prepared to review an honour guard in Horse Guards Parade on the first day of his state visit to Britain.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption Prince Philip supported the Queen through more than 60 years of her reign, including the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption The prince set up the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which is aimed at developing young people’s abilities, in 1956. Here he shares a joke with Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holders at Holyroodhouse in 2010.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PAimage caption The duke continued to compete in sport late in his life, including this carriage-driving event at Sandringham in 2005.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT AFPimage caption Thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace to greet the Royal Family after the wedding of Prince Philip’s grandson, Prince William, to Catherine Middleton in 2011.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT AFPimage caption Twelve months later, the prince had appeared to be in good health when he accompanied the Queen on the royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, which formed part of the rain-drenched Diamond Jubilee river pageant on 3 June 2012. He and the Queen stood for most of the 80-minute journey, as they were accompanied by 1,000 boats travelling seven miles down the River Thames to Tower Bridge. However, the duke was admitted to hospital with a bladder infection before the Diamond Jubilee concert on 4 June.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT GETTY IMAGESimage caption After making a recovery, he was fit enough to accompany Princess Anne to watch Great Britain’s equestrian team, which included his granddaughter Zara Phillips, compete in the eventing at the 2012 London Olympics.
IMAGE COPYRIGHTPA MEDIAimage captionIn June 2013 the duke attended a church service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PA MEDIA
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PA MEDIAimage caption Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh lit the first of more than 200 beacons to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE Day at Windsor Castle.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PA MEDIAimage caption The duke and his son Charles shared a funny moment together during a visit to Poundbury, an urban development on the edge of Dorchester, where the Queen unveiled a statue of the Queen Mother.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PA MEDIAimage caption in April 2017 the duke accompanied his wife to open a new Centre for Elephant Care at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire. In May however he announced he was to stand down from public engagements at the age of 95, with the full support of the Queen.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PA MEDIAimage caption Alongside the Queen the duke observed a minute’s silence at the start of a garden party at Buckingham Palace on 23 May 2017 in tribute to those killed at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT PA MEDIAimage caption The duke has been the longest-serving royal consort in British history.
