Why Elizabeth II chose the poorest prince in all of Europe

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains constantly in the shadow of his great consort, Elizabeth II. It is impossible to remember what he was like before he met the queen: the couple have lived in love and harmony for over 70 years. However, the prince’s life was full of events that would have been enough for a dozen movies or adventure novels.

O awesome.club decided to find out what Prince Philip is like. Even Indiana Jones himself would have envied his biography. At the end of the post, a bonus awaits you with a dose of humor from the Duke of Edinburgh.

Philip Mountbatten was born on the island of Corfu, Greece, in 1921. His family belonged to the royal clan. However, he was not entitled to the throne: his father was the sixth son of the Greco-Danish dynasty, so the son only obtained the title of prince of Greece and Denmark. Who would have thought then that the boy would become a member of the most powerful dynasty on the other side of Europe?

In 1922, the Greeks overthrew the king and all members of the royal clan decided to flee the country. The parents took Philip and his sisters secretly: the cribs were hidden in fruit crates. Thus began the adventures of the little prince.

The homeless family was welcomed by a relative from Paris. But Philip didn’t stay in France long. With the separation of his parents, his progenitor moved to Monte Carlo, where he began to spend what was left of the family inheritance. And the mother, Princess Alicia, could not bear the shame: she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and hospitalized. The children had to travel to England, where they were kindly welcomed into the home of relatives.

The sisters stayed with relatives and Philip was enrolled in a boarding school in London. It was a Spartan institution for children: students got up before dawn, played many sports, and were punished for their mischief.

Philip barely had a future in England penniless, so he decided to make a career in the military, and in 1939, the queen’s future husband entered the Naval College and even received the title of best cadet. But outside the university, he had a reputation as a womanizer and a lover of loud parties.

It is said that kings and queens cannot choose their partners. However, Elizabeth, who was still a child, saw Philip at a wedding and decided to marry him. Lillibet (as her parents called her) was 13 years old and Philip had just turned 18.

People who know the Queen well say that Elizabeth II has a character of steel, and if she decides something, then nothing will change her mind. Needless to say, Lillibet’s parents weren’t thrilled with their daughter’s first love. A poor prince without a surname (the title was removed after his escape from Greece), with a vagrant father and a sick mother. It seems that it was impossible to find a worse husband for the future queen.

When World War II began, Philip was one of the first to go to the front: he participated in combat, parachuted into Sicily and received several military decorations. During their military service, Philip and Elizabeth did not meet, but corresponded. The boyfriends exchanged letters in secret so as not to disturb her parents.

At the end of the war, he could hold the title of youngest officer in the British Royal Navy. He returned to England a hero, graduated from college and in 1946 approached King George VI to ask for Elizabeth’s hand.

To marry the future queen, Philip renounced all his titles and took his mother’s surname, Mountbatten. He also changed his religion: he was born in Greece and was Orthodox. The king granted Philip Mountbatten the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Only then, when all the formalities were arranged and the young man had all the honors necessary to marry a royal person, was it possible to celebrate the marriage.

However, when he got married, Philip’s bank account was almost empty: to give his bride a gift, he had to remove diamonds from a tiara of his mother’s to make a bracelet. And as another wedding gift for Lillibet, the prince quit smoking, as per the request of his young wife.

The wedding ceremony was broadcast on the BBC radio station, as television in post-war Europe was scarce. Thus, 200 million people around the world heard the newlyweds take their marriage vows at Westminster Abbey.

On the part of the groom, few guests attended. And all because his sisters were married to the German aristocrats who supported the Nazis. Such relatives jeopardized the reputation of British monarchs.

Four years after the wedding, the King of England died and Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Philip again swore fealty to his wife, this time as his queen.

“I, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, I will be your vassal and devoted devotee. And faith and truth will lead me to you, in life and in death, God help me.”

However, Elizabeth has returned to a decision, as usual, for life: she reigns on the throne and Philip in the family. The prince had the last word when it came to matters of the home and child rearing. Their marriage broke all records, even among conservative royal families: the couple have lived together for 72 years.

They raised four children — Charles, Prince of Wales; Princess Anne; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex — and have 6 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

We are used to Prince Philip becoming the shadow of his charismatic wife: he accompanied her on all her travels (in total there are 251). Philip piloted almost every type of aircraft and helicopter available to him (and for monarchs almost everything is), accumulating over 5,000 flight hours. The prince consort was the first member of the royal family who decided to embark on a trip around the world. He also granted the first television interview in 1961. Today, everyone gives interviews, but back then it was a miracle that the prince answered a journalist’s questions.

He has written several books on ecology, animals and horse breeding, visited 18,000 official events and delivered 1,000 speeches. In addition, he is an honorary member of 780 different organizations: from sports to charities. All these receptions, trips and meetings are part of his job. Members of the royal family cannot be late. Officially, Philip and other members of the dynasty receive a payment for this. However, according to strict British laws, most of this money is consumed by taxes. The prince is still in great shape: in 2008 he asked the court’s tailor to fix the trousers he had worn for 52 years, because “he had gained a little weight”. So Philip donned his half-century-old trousers and headed for the royal reception.

On the tranquil island of Tana, Philip is considered a deity. According to the ancient legends of the natives, the son of a mountain spirit will one day go to distant lands, marry a worthy woman and return to his homeland. By the way, the prince visited the island and was photographed with the aborigines.

Philip is the only person in the world who can call the queen of mon petit chou (“my sweetie”, in French). The prince loves to drive. It is true that at the beginning of 2019 he had to renounce his driver’s license, because he caused a car accident and now he only rides as a passenger.

On June 10, 2019, Philip turned 98 years old. He retired years ago and spends a lot of time on the family farm. In an interview, he declared that he never wanted to live to 100: “I can’t imagine anything worse, I’m already falling apart.”

Prince Philip has a very peculiar sense of humor, which is why he is usually in very funny situations. Despite the British pomp, he always says what he thinks. We’ve compiled some of the Duke of Edinburgh’s most ingenious quotes.

“I never eat homemade food, all I have is fancy stuff.” About the wild pigeon protection project: “Cats kill birds much more than people. Why don’t they adopt the slogan ‘killing cats saves birds?’” “Children go to school because their parents don’t want to see them at home”. About Your Daughter’s Passion for Horses: “If they don’t pass gas or eat hay, she doesn’t care.” “When a man opens the car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife.” To Elton John about his golden Aston Martin: “Oh, you’re the one with the scaring car, aren’t you?” He asked actress Cate Blanchett to help him with his DVD player.: “I heard that you are an actress, they gave me a DVD this Christmas and I don’t know how it works, I don’t know if I have to connect the green or the red cable”. During a visit to the East End, he asked a professional debt collector: “Do you still have friends?”

Did you know that Elizabeth II’s husband was such a versatile person? Perhaps he is surprised, as we are, by the prince’s brilliant biography?