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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

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HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, formerly Philip Mountbatten and Prince Philip of Denmark and Greece (born June 10, 1921), is the husband and consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Although he was born a prince of Greece and Denmark, he renounced those titles when he became a British citizen in 1947 and adopted the surname "Mountbatten," (an Anglicized version of "Battenberg") which came from his mother's side of the family and he saw as more "British" than "Oldenburg" (or "Oldcastle," which was suggested as an Anglicized version), which was the name of the German dukes from whom his father's Danish ancestors were descended.

He was born (on the dining-room table) in his parents' small house on the island of Corfu, the son of Prince Andrew of Greece, and named Philippos. Following the first abolition of the Greek monarchy, Philip was forced into exile with his poverty-striken parents; he was famously brought in a makeshift cot made from an orange box. Most of Philip's early life was spent moving from home to home, denying him a stable childhood. In adulthood he became an officer in the Royal Navy when he married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. On that occasion he was created Duke of Edinburgh by his new father-in-law, King George VI. In 1957 he was given the title Prince Philip. Unlike Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, Philip was not given the title of Prince Consort. His children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, all share a surname of Mountbatten-Windsor, given to the children in honour of their father by Queen Elizabeth by an Order-in-Council in 1960. However the Royal House name remains Windsor.

He is particularly known in Britain for his occasional gaffes when on public visits. For example, when visiting China in 1986, he told a group of British students that they had better not stay there too long or they would be getting "slanty-eyed".

His ancestors can be seen in this Ahnentafel:

  1. Philip Mountbatten (b. May 28, 1921 (O.S.))
  2. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (January 20, 1882 - December 3, 1944)
  3. Princess Alice of Battenberg (February 25, 1885 - December 5, 1969)
  4. George I of Greece (December 24, 1845 - March 18, 1913)
  5. Olga Konstantinova of Russia (August 22, 1851 (O.S.) = September 3, 1851 (N.S.) - June 18/19, 1926).
  6. Princess Louis of Battenberg (May 24, 1854 - November 9, 1921).
  7. Victoria Alberta von Hessen (April 5, 1863 - September 24, 1950).
  8. King Christian IX of Denmark (April 8, 1818 - January 29. 1906)
  9. Louise von Hessen-Kassel (September 7, 1817 - September 29, 1898)
  10. Konstantin Nikolaievich of Russia (September 9, 1827 (O.S.) = September 21, 1827 (N.S.) - January 12/13, 1892 (O.S.) = January 24/25, 1892 (N.S.))
  11. Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg (July 8, 1830 - June 23, 1911 (O.S) = July 6, 1911 (N.S.))
  12. Alexander von Hessen und bei Rhine (July 15, 1823 - December 15, 1888)
  13. Julia Von Hauke (November 24, 1825 - September 19, 1895)
  14. Ludwig IV von Hessen und bei Rhine (September 12, 1837 - March 13, 1892)
  15. Princess Alice of Great Britain and Ireland (April 25, 1843 - December 14, 1878)
  16. Wilhelm von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksborg (January 4, 1785 - February 17, 1831)
  17. Louisa von Hessen-Kassel (September 28, 1789 - March 13, 1867)
  18. Wilhelm von Hessen-Kassel (December 24, 1787 - September 5, 1867)
  19. [Princess [Louise Charlotte of Denmark]] (October 30, 1789 - March 28, 1864)
  20. Tsar Nicholas I of Russia (June 25, 1796 (O.S.) = July 6, 1796 (N.S.) - February 18, 1855 (O.S.) = March 2, 1855 (N.S.))
  21. Princess Charlotte of Prussia (July 13, 1798 - October 20, 1860 (O.S.) = November 1, 1860 (N.S.))
  22. Joseph of Saxe-Altenburg (August 27, 1789 - November 25, 1868)
  23. Amalie of Württemberg(June 28, 1799 - November 28, 1848)
  24. Ludwig II von Hessen und bei Rhine (December 26, 1777 - June 16, 1848)
  25. Wilhelmina of Baden (September 10, 1788 - January 27, 1836)
  26. John Maurice Von Hauke(October 26, 1775 - November 29, 1830).
  27. Sophie la Fontaine Born in 1790 - August 27, 1831).
  28. Karl von Hessen und bei Rhine (April 23, 1809 - March 20, 1877).
  29. Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (June 18, 1815 - March 21, 1885).
  30. Princess Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (August 26, 1819 - December 14, 1861)
  31. Victoria of the United Kingdom (May 24, 1819 - January 22, 1901).

Dr. Denis Judd wrote Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: A Biography (©1980, ISBN 0-689-11131-2)

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