Prince Philip Biography and Photos

The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Philippos of Greece and Denmark; born 10 June 1921) is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II since 20 November 1947, and her consort since 6 February 1952. He was originally a royal prince of Greece and Denmark, and thus a member of the Danish-German House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, but renounced these titles shortly before his marriage and adopted the surname of his maternal grandparents, to become known as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. On the day before Philip was married, he was granted the style of His Royal Highness by King George VI, and, the next day, was made Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich. Queen Elizabeth made Philip a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957.

As consort to the widely travelled Queen and Head of the Commonwealth, Philip has frequently been in the public eye, and is an established public figure in the United Kingdom and in the Commonwealth realms. Certain comments in the public sphere have gained the Prince a reputation for making controversial remarks. In addition to his royal duties, the Duke of Edinburgh is also the patron of many organisations, including The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh. In particular, he has devoted himself, since visiting the Southern Antarctic Islands in 1956, to raising public awareness of the relationship between humanity and the environment. He has published and spoken widely for over half a century on this subject.