Farewell to THE DUKE
WORLD REFLECTS ON AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN WHO LED AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE
With the Duke of Edinburgh set to be farewelled in an intimate ceremony on April 17 (see breakout), many around the world have taken to reflecting on what a dutiful, yet colourful, life he led. Born sixth in line to the Greek throne on June 10, 1921, on his family’s kitchen table, Philip – then known as Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark – had a rather rocky start to life. At the tender age of 18 months, his uncle, King Constantine I of Greece, was forced to abdicate and the family found themselves fleeing the island of Corfu – with Philip in a makeshift cot fashioned from an orange box.
After finding refuge in Paris, Philip and his four older sisters had a relatively calm childhood. That is until, late one afternoon in 1930, the siblings learned their mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, had been committed to a sanatorium in Switzerland. His father, Prince Andrew of Greece, was mostly absent, leading Philip to move to the UK where his uncle, George Mountbatten, second Marquess of Milford Haven, became somewhat of a surrogate parent.
It’s in the UK that Philip first came into contact with an 8-year-old Princess Elizabeth at a family wedding – the pair both being great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria and in turn, third cousins. But it wasn’t until five years later that the first pages of their love story were written (see page 10).
Although the navy gave a young Philip purpose in life, after being forced to give up his position amongst its ranks following his wife’s accession to the throne in 1952, the duke found fulfilment in not only his role as a father (see page 14) but by devoting himself to a life of public service.
Over almost seven decades, Philip championed more than 800 patronages and organisations, focusing on a vast range of businesses, charities and academics involved with such diverse topics as science, engineering, sport, community service and education. Most notably, the prince founded The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and was the president of the World Wildlife Fund in the ’60s and ’70s, where he campaigned to protect creatures large and small.
“On the occasions when I met him,
I was always struck by his obvious joy at life, his inquiring mind and his ability to communicate to people from every background and walk of life,” Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, said in tribute to the duke. “He was a master at putting people at their ease and making them feel special.”
After 22,219 solo engagements, Prince Philip’s last official commitment was on August 2, 2017, when he attended a parade of the Royal Marines at Buckingham Palace and bid farewell to public duties. At the time of his retirement, he had undertaken 637 overseas tours, chaired over 1454 meetings and made 5496 speeches. “I reckon I’ve done my bit,” the duke told the world just years earlier on his 90th birthday. Taking a look back on his life, it’s impossible to disagree.
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