The Duke of Edinburgh as a serving officer in the Royal Navy (PA) Sign up for our daily newsletter featuring the top stories from The Press and Journal. Thank you for signing up to The Press and Journal newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up The Duke of Edinburgh was mentioned in despatches for his service during the Second World War. He was a midshipman aboard HMS Valiant off the southern coast of Greece when he earned his honourable citation. A young naval officer, he was praised for his actions in the decisive Battle of Cape Matapan against the Italian fleet in March 1941.