The Picture That Says A Thousand Words: Prince Philip at 95

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh turns a fabulous 95 years old today, but he doesn’t want you to know. HRH is quite happy to let you go by unaware that he reaches such an important milestone today because Her Majesty starts her June weekend of celebrations this weekend.

Born in 1921 on the island of Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, when the Greco-Turkish War went rather badly for Greece, HMS Calypso evacuated Prince Andrew’s family, with Philip carried to safety in a cot made from a fruit box. The family initially went to France, then he was sent to the UK in 1928, then back to Germany in 1933 to Salem, and then with the rise of Nazism he came back to Scotland to attend Gordonstoun. Philip’s familial connections disintergrated with his sisters marrying German noblemen, his mother being admitted to an asylum for schizophrenia and his father remaining in Monte-Carlo.

Young Prince Philip Photos Show The Duke Of Edinburgh As A Child https://t.co/FLCdNzPKxq #royal pic.twitter.com/WyF9BzOZti

— JB (@Royal_beans) June 9, 2016

Whilst the Duke not only has his service to Her Majesty to be proud of, he also has his time in the Royal Navy. Starting in 1940 as a midshipman, he went on to be involved in the Battle of Crete. In 1942 he became one of the youngest lieutenants, going on in 1943 to save his ship, HMS Wallace, from a night bomber attack. His last posting before returning to the UK was watching the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

Prince Philip was a keen polo player in his day, something he has passed on to his children and grandchildren. He still carriage rides quite frequently, a sport he expanded himself. His paintings hang in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle amongst the greats. His beautiful painting of The Queen during breakfast is amongst one of my personal favourites.

From 1951-2015, here's a look at the Royal Family in Balmoral through the years https://t.co/NGBDOikWzA pic.twitter.com/8g3Zl7w331

— The Press & Journal (@pressjournal) August 20, 2015

He is also known for his consistent ‘gaffes’, with corkers like the following:

On his visit to Malta last year, Prince Philip to a man with a beard: “It isn’t difficult, you know, to shave in the morning!”

At the Battle of Britain 60th Anniversary he told photographers to “F Off!” because he was tired of waiting for them to get their “perfect” shot.

But his comments aren’t just reserved for those with no impairments. Sharing her experience of meeting the Queen and the Duke on The Graham Norton Show, a woman revealed how the Duke was less than impressed with a tie choice – clip here.

And a quote from 2002 in regards to the improvements in air travel (or lack of it): “If you travel as much as we do, you appreciate the improvements in aircraft design of less noise and more comfort, provided you don’t travel in something called economy class, which sounds ghastly.”

You will rarely find the Queen without the Duke, and he has constantly been Her Majesty’s rock through their 69 years of marriage (another milestone for the pair to hit next year). It’s only ever been those two for each other, ever since meeting at Dartmouth in 1939. Elizabeth fell in love with Philip and they began exchanging letters when she was just 13. George VI delayed their engagement until the Queen was 21. It was Philip in 1952 who broke the news of her father’s death in Sagana Lodge, Kenya. His dedication to her life has been overwhelming.

Philip is not the only one to celebrate a milestone this week, The Duke of Edinburgh Award celebrates its Diamond Anniversary this year. The award was created in 1956 by John Hunt, who retired from the army to run the award. There is a separate blog post detailing the fabulous work of the Award and it’s milestone 60th birthday.

Whilst ill health may be a worry for us at that age, Prince Philip is going strong. We wish him a Happy 95th Birthday, with many more to come.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Birthday, The Duke of Edinburgh.

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