Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has died at 99.
Buckingham Palace announced his death Friday morning, saying in a statement, “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
He was hospitalized for weeks, from mid-February through mid-March, although a Buckingham Palace press release at the time said it was done as a “precautionary measure,” saying he was released “following treatment for an infection and a successful procedure for a pre-existing condition.”
He was the longest-serving spouse of a reigning monarch and the oldest male member of the British royal family. Philip was married to Elizabeth for more than 70 years.
During a 2012 speech marking her Diamond Jubilee, the queen called him her “constant guide and strength.”
Born at Mon Repos in Greece, Philip was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. After Greece lost major territory in the Greco-Turkish War, Philip, only an infant at the time, and his family were banished for life and fled to France.
He joined the British Royal Navy in 1939 at the age of 18 and met the then-13-year-old Princess Elizabeth, his third cousin, during a tour of the Royal Naval College that year. The duke served in the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets during World War II, and the two announced their engagement in July 1947. The couple married months later in Westminster Abbey.
Philip left active military service in 1952 when Elizabeth ascended to the throne and was named prince by his wife five years later. Despite constant rumors that their marriage was unstable, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.
Throughout his life, Philip held several honorary titles in the Royal Air Force, the Royal Marines, and the Royal Navy. In celebration of his 90th birthday, the queen named him the Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy, and Canada appointed him to the highest ranks in all three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces.
An avid sportsman, Philip played polo, racked up thousands of flight hours, sailed, and competed in carriage driving, a form of competitive horse driving he helped develop. Though he ceased competing in most sports as he got older, he continued carriage driving well into his 90s.
Philip was the patron of more than 780 organizations, including the National Playing Fields Association, the International Equestrian Federation, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He also served, at various times, as the chancellor of Cambridge University, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Salford, and the University of Wales.
After suffering from chest pains in 2011, Philip successfully underwent coronary angioplasty and stenting. Two years later, he had exploratory surgery in his abdomen. In 2018, Philip had hip replacement surgery, recovering swiftly enough to attend the wedding of his grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle approximately a month later.
Philip leaves behind his wife, Elizabeth, and four children, Prince Charles, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne. He has eight grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and eight great-grandchildren, including William’s children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, and Harry’s son, Archie.
