Edinburgh, Prince Philip Mountbatten, duke
of
[key], 1921–2021, consort of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, b.
Greece. He was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice,
daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg, and a grandson of George I
of Greece, great-grandson of Christian IX of Denmark, and
great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. He took an anglicized version of his
mother's name, Mountbatten, when he became a British citizen in 1947, and
renounced his Greek and Danish titles. Educated at the Royal Navy College,
Philip served in the British navy during World War II. He was created duke
of Edinburgh shortly before his marriage (Nov. 20, 1947) to Elizabeth. He
established the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in 1956, aimed at encouraging
young people aged 14-24 to complete their education. In 1957, Elizabeth
conferred upon him the title of Prince. He has been a strong advocate of
British scientific and technical innovation, wildlife protection, and
conservation. He retired from most official public activities in 2017. At
the time of his death, he was the longest-serving consort and the
longest-living male in the British Royal family.
See Biographies by P. Eade (2012), R. Jobson (2021); studies by C. Lagos and J. Carr,
Philip, Prince of Greece: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Early
Life and the Greek Succession (2021), I. Lloyd, The
Duke: 100 Chapters in the Life of Prince Philip (2021).
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