For a young Princess Elizabeth, it must have seemed like her own personal fairytale: a prince, dazzling in good looks and charm, with eyes only for her. She fell in love at first sight. He, a little older and more worldly, was not far behind. Their romance was the talk of the town, their wedding captivated a nation, their marriage an unqualified success. Eight decades later, and the death of Prince Philip brings to a close the most enduring love story in British royal history. It began not at a royal ball or state function, but on a tennis court. Prince Philip, chosen as a cadet at Dartmouth Naval College to dine with the visiting Royal family in 1939, was tasked with entertaining two small princesses, first with a train set on the nursery floor and later – once his patience was at an end – on the court.
At just after midday on 9th April 2021, Buckingham Palace released the following statement:
It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.
Further announcements will be made in due course.
The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.
By the time he married the then Princess Elizabeth, his father had died, his mother Princess Alice of Battenberg, had withdrawn to the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary, and his sisters, having married Nazi’s were unwelcome at the post-war wedding. By then he had also lost his birth right, nationality, and home.
Apr 10, 2021
PHOTO PROVIDED
Ret. Army Col. Colleen Shull, of Muncy, pays tribute to the late Prince Philip outside Buckingham Palace in London, England, on Friday morning. She rendered a salute to a fallen Navy officer. Her note read, âFair winds and following seas. RIPâ
LONDON (AP) When Prince Philip married the heir to the British throne, he knew he was stepping into virtually uncharted territory.
There was no official role for the husband of a sovereign queen, no constitutional duty or legal responsibility.
“There was no precedent,” he said when he turned 90. “If I asked somebody, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ They all looked blank. They had no idea.”
Modern prince was queen’s bedrock
FILE - In this June 2, 1953 file photo, Britain s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, following the Queen s coronation at Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace says Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died aged 99. (AP Photo/Leslie Priest, File) Leslie Priest
FILE - In this July 31, 1947 file photo, Lieut. Philip Mountbatten, center, inspects his men at the Petty Officers Training Center at Corsham, England. Buckingham Palace officials say Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died, it was announced on Friday, April 9, 2021. He was 99. Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle. Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, married Elizabeth in 1947 and was.