Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh | Biography & Facts | Britannica

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• What was Prince Philip’s family like?
• Why wasn’t Prince Philip a king?
• Who is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?
• Why is Andrew not a prince anymore?
• Is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor still in the British line of succession?

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External Websites

• Historic UK - His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh
• English Monarchs - Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• Government of Canada - Canadian Heritage - His Royal Highness Prince Philip
• CBC News - Family dysfunction: Prince Philip's early life
• BBC - The Documentary Podcast - The life of Prince Philip
• The Home of the Royal Family - The Duke of Edinburgh - Early Life and Education
• CBS News - Remembering Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

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Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Philip Mountbatten, Philip, prince of Greece and Denmark, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich(Show More) Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Dec. 7, 2025 •History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Top Questions

What is Philip, duke of Edinburgh, known for?

Prince Philip was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the father of Charles, who became king in 2022. Philip was also known for supporting numerous charities, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, and for his outspoken right-wing views.

How did Philip, duke of Edinburgh, become famous?

Prince Philip was born into the Greek and Danish royal families and gained greater fame when he married his distant cousin Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom) in 1947.

What was Prince Philip’s education?

Reared chiefly in Great Britain, Philip was educated at Gordonstoun School, near Elgin, Moray, Scotland, and at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, England. From January 1940 to the end of World War II, he served with the Royal Navy in combat in the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

What was Prince Philip’s family like?

Philip was born to Prince Andrew, a son of King George I of Greece, and Princess Alice. When he was an infant, his family was exiled, and it later disintegrated: his mother was institutionalized, his father left with his mistress, and Philip’s four elder sisters married. Philip later married Elizabeth and had four children.

Why wasn’t Prince Philip a king?

Prince Philip did not have the title of king because of British royal tradition whereby a man marrying into the royal family does not assume the male version of the title held by his wife. He became duke of Edinburgh prior to his marriage to Elizabeth in 1947, and she designated him a prince in 1957.

Philip, duke of Edinburgh (born June 10, 1921, Corfu, Greece—died April 9, 2021, Windsor Castle, England) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

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Philip’s father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882–1944), a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes (originally Prince William of Denmark). His mother was Princess Alice (1885–1969), who was the eldest daughter of Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st marquess of Milford Haven, and Princess Victoria of Hesse and the Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Reared chiefly in Great Britain, Philip was educated at Gordonstoun School, near Elgin, Moray, Scotland, and at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Devon, England. From January 1940 to the end of World War II, he served with the Royal Navy in combat in the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

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On February 28, 1947, Philip became a British subject, renouncing his right to the Greek and Danish thrones and taking his mother’s surname, Mountbatten. (His father’s family name had been Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.) His marriage to his distant cousin Princess Elizabeth took place in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947. On the eve of his wedding, he was designated a royal highness and was created a Knight of the Garter, Baron Greenwich, earl of Merioneth, and duke of Edinburgh. The couple’s first child, Charles Philip Arthur George, was born in 1948. He was joined by Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born 1950), Andrew Albert Christian Edward (born 1960), and Edward Anthony Richard Louis (born 1964).

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Philip continued on active service with the Royal Navy, commanding the frigate Magpie, until Elizabeth’s accession on February 6, 1952, from which time he shared her official and public life. His presence at Elizabeth’s coronation on June 2, 1953, marked a rare event in English history: the presence of the husband of a queen regnant at a coronation had not occurred since Prince George of Denmark attended the coronation of Queen Anne in 1702. Philip attended an average of 350 official engagements a year on behalf of the royal household. In 1957 she conferred on him the dignity of prince of the United Kingdom, and in 1960 his surname was legally combined with the name of her family—as Mountbatten-Windsor—as a surname for lesser branches of the royal family. His outspoken right-wing views, the public expression of which he sometimes found hard to resist, occasionally embarrassed a monarchy trying to put aside its traditional upper-crust image.

Quick Facts In full: Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh, earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich (Show more) Also called: Philip Mountbatten (Show more) Original name: Philip, prince of Greece and Denmark (Show more) Born: June 10, 1921, Corfu, Greece (Show more) Died: April 9, 2021, Windsor Castle, England (aged 99) (Show more) House / Dynasty: house of Windsor (Show more) Notable Family Members: spouse Elizabeth II daughter Anne, the Princess Royal son Prince Andrew son Charles III son Prince Edward, earl of Wessex (Show more) On the Web: BBC - The Documentary Podcast - The life of Prince Philip (Dec. 07, 2025) (Show more) See all related content Show More

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While much of his time was spent fulfilling the duties of his station, Philip engaged in a variety of philanthropic endeavours. He served as president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from 1981 to 1996, and his International Award program allowed more than six million young adults to engage in community service, leadership development, and physical fitness activities. In 2011, to mark his 90th birthday, Elizabeth conferred on him the title and office of lord high admiral, the titular head of the Royal Navy. In May 2017 it was announced that Philip—who was one of the busiest royals, with more than 22,000 solo appearances over the years—would stop carrying out public engagements in August. His last solo event took place on August 2, 2017.

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