On Friday, April 9, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, died, he was 99 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that Her Majesty the Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle, “ the royal family tweeted.
In February, he was admitted to the hospital and underwent heart surgery, but was later discharged.
They were married to the Queen for 73 years and raised four children. The prince did not live to see his 100th birthday for just two months.
A month of mourning has been declared in the UK.
The main facts of the biography of Prince Philip:
Prince Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on 10 June 1921. He did not live to see his centenary exactly two months later.
Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu and was baptized according to the Orthodox rite.
He is the son of King George I of Greece and the younger brother of King Constantine I. Great-grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark, a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of England, and Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.
From birth, he bore the title of Prince of Greece and Denmark.
After the abdication of Constantine in September 1922, the family was expelled from Greece and settled in Paris. In 1928, Philip was sent to live with relatives in London. From 1933 to 1935, he attended school in Germany, then in Scotland. In 1939-1940, he studied at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
After graduation, he was promoted to midshipman and served in the Navy throughout World War II. After graduating with the rank of first lieutenant.
During his college years, Philip met his four cousins, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. A correspondence ensued between Philip and Elizabeth.
In 1946, Philip asked the king for permission to marry the heir to the throne. Their engagement was announced on July 10, 1947. The wedding took place on November 20 of the same year in Westminster Abbey.
Philip and Elizabeth have four children:
Charles, Prince of Wales (born 1948),
Princess Anne (born 1950),
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born 1960),
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (born 1964).
During the celebration of his 90th birthday, Prince Philip announced his intention to reduce public functions. Since 2017, he has ceased to perform the public duties assigned to him personally as a member of the royal family. At the same time, the prince still continued to accompany his wife at many public events.
One of the last photos of Philip was taken in November 2020-in honor of the 73rd wedding anniversary of the couple.
Philip and Elizabeth spent the coronavirus pandemic in self-isolation. On January 9, 2021, they gave the first injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The other day, on April 3, Elizabeth II appeared in public for the first time after a long quarantine. She was in good health, but her husband did not accompany her.
Prince Philip has broken the longevity record for men descended from Queen Victoria. Before that, it belonged to Karl Johan Bernadotte, who died on May 5, 2012, at the age of 95 years, 6 months, and 5 days.
Britain has declared national mourning for Prince Philip. The royal family will mourn for 30 days.
The country’s flags are at half-mast, no new laws will be passed, and the Queen will temporarily cease to deal with state affairs. Parliamentarians will wear black ribbons on their sleeves, while men will wear black ties.