Elizabeth II and Prince Philip: a love story of a lifetime

Queen Elizabeth passed away today. We remember the life of Prince Philip and the story of his love with the Queen of Great Britain.

Actually, Elizabeth and Philip are relatives. They share their great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, which makes them fourth cousins. But that didn’t prevent a spark from sparking between them when Prince Philip decided to connect his fate with a military career, becoming a student at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. It was there that the future spouses first saw each other. The fact is that during the college visit of King George VI with his family, Philip was sent to accompany two young princesses – Elizabeth and Margaret. And although they had seen each other for a short time before, their love story began after this visit. They began to correspond, and several times Prince Philip was even invited to seek permission from the royal family. Then the Second World War began, but this did not affect their relationship. Also, after the joint celebration of Christmas in 1943, a photo of Philip in military uniform appeared on Elizabeth’s desk. And already in 1946, 25-year-old senior lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, returning from the war, asked the king for the hand of his daughter. Permission was granted, but on one condition – before declaring the engagement, the prince had to change his citizenship and surname. He renounced his Greek title, became an English subject, and took his mother’s surname Mountbatten.

Thus, the day before the wedding ceremony, King George VI bestowed the title of His Royal Highness on Philip, and on the morning of his wedding day, he became Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. The wedding took place on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. Standing at the altar, Elizabeth took an oath stating that she promised to obey her husband. This caused a wave of anger among the authorities, as the princess was to become queen. You must obey him. But what wouldn’t you do for love?

True, Prince Philip’s sacrifices did not end there: he had to give up his military career. Some time after the wedding, if they and the princess could survive in a military family, in 1950 she had to make a choice. At that time, in marriage with Elizabeth, they already had a son Charles (1948) and a daughter Anna (1950), becoming the captain of the sloop Magpie (HMS Magpie). But George VI’s deteriorating health meant that Princess Elizabeth had to devote more time to her royal duties and needed the support of her husband. Philippe retired in July 1951 and never returned to naval service.

In 1952, Elizabeth and Philip went on a tour of the Commonwealth countries. During one of their visits to Kenya, they received the news that the king had died of coronary artery thrombosis. It was Prince Philip who had to tell his wife that his father was dead and that he was Queen of Great Britain. Elizabeth’s coronation took place the following year, on June 2, 1953.

Seven years later, in 1960, the third child appeared in the marriage – Prince Andrew. Four years later, their fourth child appeared in their life – Prince Edward.

And although Philip’s life as part of the royal family and as the wife of the president of Great Britain was not easy, World War II It was Elizabeth’s main support and support. The Queen made the announcement on her golden wedding anniversary in 1997. Philip himself once said: “My main and only job is to never disappoint the queen.”

On April 9, 2021, the prince passed away due to a heart ailment.