Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Philip was Queen’s ‘strength and stay’
THE Duke of Edinburgh — quizzical, witty and sometimes controversial — was the Queen’s greatest source of support, her confidant and the man she relied on above all others.
His lifelong role was to ensure he never let her down and their long-lasting marriage was arguably one of the world’s best-known relationships.
Although he was not officially given the title of Prince Consort, Philip — a private, enigmatic man of strong character — was always there, one step behind, ready to lend the Queen a helping hand.
Through his stewardship, he had a profound effect on the development of the British monarchy.
In public, the duke never attempted to upstage the woman he loved. In private, it was Philip who the Queen would defer to. At home, he assumed the position of head of the family as the royal patriarch.
Like his great-great-grandfather Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s beloved husband, the duke immersed himself in national life, yet managed to retain something of the sceptical spectator.
Some thought he was arrogant, rude and insensitive, while others found him witty and fun.
He could be abrupt, outspoken and was criticised for his legendary gaffes.
He was well aware of his public image, once telling former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth: “I have become a caricature. There we are. I’ve just got to accept it.”
Philip was a forceful man, often portrayed as short-tempered and rather off-hand in his manner. Yet he had the ability to charm and could be relied upon to break the ice with his sense of humour and quick repartee.
The curious duke would ask endless questions while on engagements, grilling and challenging his hosts persistently.
He had the no-fuss, no-nonsense manner so often associated with his daughter, the Princess Royal.
Philip received little public adulation for his tireless charity work — he was patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations — and support for the monarchy in difficult times.
He and the Queen witnessed the failure of three of their four children’s marriages and the fall-out that followed, particularly the scandal surrounding Camilla Parker Bowles, who eventually married into “The Firm”.
The royal family also faced criticism for their response to the death of Princess Diana.
The duke was depicted as a tough, but caring father, amid speculation that his relationship with Prince Charles was not always the easiest. But he guarded his privacy and refused to discuss such matters.
By almost any standard he was a remarkable character. He had all the qualities which, even without his royal status, would have led him to the top.
He was a successful naval officer — there are those who believe that, had the duke not married Princess Elizabeth, he would have been First Sea Lord — and he was also a pilot of above average ability.
In his leisure moments, he was a good shot, a first-class polo player, an accomplished sailor, enthusiastic cricketer and international four-in-hand carriage driver.
His themes were many, but he regularly returned to the prickly subject of the British economy and also conservation, one of his great passions.
He could speak with authority on industry, science and nature. One of the duke’s most famous speeches was in 1961, when he told industrialists: “Gentlemen, I think it is time we pulled our fingers out.”
Born at the family home, Mon Repos — allegedly on the kitchen table — on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10 1921, he was brought to Britain when he was aged just one.
Although he was a prince of Greece, he had no Greek blood. His complex background was in fact Danish, German, Russian and British.
He was the youngest child and only son of
Prince Andrew of Greece, an officer in the Greek Army, and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
The duke’s mother was the sister of Louis Mountbatten, later Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
The family was forced to flee Corfu in December 1922 after Philip’s father, a lieutenant-general in the Greek Army, was arrested and charged with high treason in the aftermath of the heavy defeat of the Greeks by the Turks.
It was said he disobeyed orders and abandoned his post with his cavalry regiment in the face of attack.
King George V sent HMS Calypso and a British secret agent to negotiate his release, collect him and his wife, their four daughters and baby Philip and take them into exile.
The blond, blue-eyed prince was carried into exile in a makeshift cot made from an old orange box. His family finally arrived in Paris, dependent on relatives for financial help.
The duke’s childhood from then on was unsettled and somewhat bleak. He was without a permanent home.
Moving between various relatives, the young prince was enrolled in a primary school in Paris before coming to Britain at the age of eight,n when he attended Cheam School in Surrey from 1930 to 1933.
His parents’ relationship broke down and his father was based in Monte Carlo where he amassed gambling debts. He died there in 1944.
His religious mother, Princess Alice, who was deaf, formed an order of nuns, but began to suffer from depression and was treated in an asylum.
She died at Buckingham Palace in 1969. In 1933, Philip moved to Salem School in Baden, Germany — all four of his sisters married German princes.
Philip was back in the UK within the year and enrolled at Gordonstoun, the new boys’ school near Elgin, started by Dr Kurt Hahn, who had previously been the headmaster at Salem School.
He very rarely saw his parents and was left isolated, but he was a happy, lively child.
The duke thrived at Gordonstoun, captaining the hockey and cricket teams and becoming guardian (head boy) in his last term.
After leaving school, Philip joined the Royal Navy, beginning at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in May 1939, and was singled out as best cadet.
During the Second World War, he served on several ships — firstly on HMS Ramillies — and saw active service against German, Italian and Japanese forces.
Home leaves brought invitations from King George VI to stay at Windsor Castle. It was in this romantic setting that the dashing naval officer resumed his friendship with the young Princess Elizabeth.
They had been present together on various occasions, including the wedding in