Royal Facts About Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh

Royal Facts About Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh
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Royal Facts About Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh
Nov 30
PEOPLE
Christine Tran
Prince Philip wasn't just the longest sitting Prince Consort in British history, he had a lifetime full of more intrigue than most people can even imagine. From his dangerous beginnings as a royal fugitive to the secrets only palace aides know for sure, Philip's century-old story more than rivals that of his beloved widow, Queen Elizabeth II.
1. He Wasn’t British
It’s difficult to imagine a time when he was anything but a British consort, but believe it or not, Prince Philip was not British at all. He was born to both the Greek and Danish royal families in the Greek Island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. In fact,  his road to Queen Elizabeth was filled with tragedy, drama, and unbelievable heartbreak.
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2. His Childhood Was A Nightmare
Although Philip came from a royal lineage, his childhood was more pauper than prince. His home nation was beset with conflicts, and Philip’s family felt the brunt of the danger. Not only did Philip’s uncle King Constantine I have to abdicate, his own father Prince Andrew found himself behind bars. Then, when Philip was still just a toddler, it came to a disturbing climax.
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3. He Made A Bizarre Escape
Fearing for their lives, the Greek royal family fled their country to take refuge in France. But that wasn’t even the worst part . The situation was deteriorating so fast and so violently, Philip’s family had to resort to smuggling their baby heir out inside of a fruit box. From this dramatic beginning, Prince Philip’s life only ramped up more.
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4. He Took Lovers From A Young Age
As Philip grew up in France, the strapping and strikingly handsome young lad more than happily participated in French, er, liberalism. An old teacher of his described Philip as a "know it all smarty person,” and the young prince used his sharp wit and clever charms to woo women, including the beautiful socialite Olsa Benning. But the good times did not keep rolling.
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5. His Family Took A Dark Turn
In the late 1930s, tensions were rising in Europe and would eventually lead to WWII, and Philip’s family made some devastatingly dark choices. Get this: A full four of Philip’s sisters married high-ranking German princes, putting them smack dab in the upper echelons of the Third Reich. And it was about to get even more complicated…
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6. He Lost His Sister In A Horrific Way
One of Philip’s German-loving older sisters was also his favorite sibling, Princess Cecilie. Yet a horrific kind of karma came for the royal: On November 16, 1937, Cecilie perished in a plane crash alongside her husband, two sons, and mother-in-law. So yeah, pretty much Philip’s entire extended family on that side. But the tragedy doesn't stop there.
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7. His Family Was Cursed
During this senseless accident, Philip’s sister Cecilie was pregnant with her fourth child. Indeed, she had started to give birth mid-flight, and it was this chaotic event that likely caused the accident. At the time, Philip was only 16 years old, and he had already seen so much devastation. Is it too early to say this family is cursed? Well…just wait.
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8. He Fought Against His Own Family
Prince Philip was a man of duty and action above all else, and that went double when he was a young, ambitious man. In 1939, he enlisted to fight in WWII. Of course, this also meant he was directly in conflict with no fewer than two of his brothers-in-law, Prince Christophe of Hesse and Berthold, Margrave of Baden. Philip emerged from the fight as a Naval hero—and he was about to meet his destiny.
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9. A Teenager Fell In Love With Him
When Prince Philip met his future wife Elizabeth , he was only 18 years old. Oh, but it gets more scandalous . At the time, Elizabeth was just a bare 13 years old, and she was absolutely head over heels for her Prince Charming. The soon-to-be Queen Elizabeth II swore she would have no one but Philip. Except, well, there were some issues with that.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2015– ) Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, 3DD Productions
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10. He Had A Long Engagement
The British royal family isn’t famous for its wise decisions around marriage (uh, more on that later), and in Philip and Elizabeth’s case, they had to be pulled apart. Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, made Philip promise to wait until her 21st birthday to tie the knot, just in case she wanted to back out. Then again, King George may have had another reason to be wary…
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11. The King Didn’t Like Him
Elizabeth’s father initially did not like Philip one bit. First, there was the optics: George didn’t know how the public would take to the marriage between the female heir and a Greek Prince. Besides that, Philip’s manners were brash and to the point, befitting of a Naval officer, and they rubbed the cultured king the wrong way. Maybe that’s why the royal family made a huge demand of Philip.
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12. He Made A Huge Sacrifice
In order to join the British royal family, Philip had to be nothing but British himself. So as his relationship with Elizabeth grew more serious, Philip actually gave up all of his Greek and Danish titles and adopted his mother’s family name of “Mountbatten” to become a “naturalized” British subject. Only then did he become formally engaged to Elizabeth.
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13. He Had A Royal Wedding
On November 20, 1947, Prince Philip finally won his princess, and he and Elizabeth married at the stately Westminster Abbey. The BBC broadcast the ceremony through the radio to 200 million listeners worldwide. In the days before the blockbuster TV broadcast of Prince Charles and Diana ’s wedding, those were big numbers. But there was also something big missing.
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14. He Almost Started A Family Feud
Despite the humongous global audience of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s wedding, the groom’s surviving three sisters weren’t there. After all, WWII had just ended, and all three of the sisters had still very much married those German princes. Understandably, guests like that didn’t fly with the palace. In fact, none of Philip’s German relatives were present. Ouch.
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15. He Gave Up A Bad Habit For His Wife
In case you get the idea that Prince Philip was nothing but a manly man, think again. For all his brusque manners, Philip truly loved Queen Elizabeth, and this was evident from day one of their marriage. Case in point: On the morning of their wedding, Philip’s “gift” to Elizabeth was to quit smoking. Ah, so sweet, Prince Philip. Okay, but he did have another gift.
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16. He Gave The Queen A Touching Gift
Today, perhaps no engagement ring is as famous as Princess Diana’s blue sapphire ring, which now sits on Kate Middleton ’s left finger. But Queen Elizabeth’s ring has its own heart-rending back story . Philip constructed the ring with diamonds from…

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