The Duke of Edinburgh: The Early Years | Prince Philip was born in Corfu in 1921 into the Greek and Danish royal families.
He joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18 and from July that... | By The Royal Family Channel | He's the longest serving
consort in British history but despite his royal pedigree, the
Duke of Edinburgh did not have the easiest start in life.
Prince Philip was born in june 1921 on the Greek Island of
Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess
Alice of Battenberg. This made Philip a great great grandchild
of Queen Victoria. Just like his future wife, Queen
Elizabeth. When he was just 18 months old, Prince Philip's
family were forced to leave Greece following a military
coup. They ended up in Paris, royal refugees without palaces
or riches. Sadly for the young prince, when he was just 8
years old, his mother suffered a nervous breakdown and ended
up being sent to a sanitorium in Switzerland. Philip would
have very little contact with her for the rest of his
childhood. Being sent off to boarding schools in Germany,
France, and the United Kingdom. Gordonston in Scotland provided
Philip with the stability and discipline that had been
missing during much of his childhood. Physical
achievement, sports were drilled into pupils and Philip
excelled as captain of the school's cricket team. He also
took up sailing which was to lead to a successful career in
the Royal Navy. After leaving Gordonston in nineteen
thirty-nine, Philip enrolled as a cadet at the Royal Naval
College, Dartmouth, where he would soon meet his future
wife. During a royal visit to the college, Philip was asked
to entertain the king's daughters. The then
eighteen-year-old future consort can be seen standing
behind 13 year old Princess Elizabeth, pictured his seated
alongside her parents. After passing out of Dartmouth as the
best cadet in his class, Philip saw military action during the
Second World War fighting against both Italy and Japan.
The Prince and Princess exchanged letters throughout
the war and their relationship blossomed when he returned home
from active service. Shortly after attending the wedding of
Counters Mount Baton in october 19 forty-six, Philip and
Elizabeth announced their own engagements. The couple were
married at Westminster Abbey the following winter. Philip
were go on to renounce his Greek and Danish titles and
take his mother's maiden name of Mount Baton before King
George the sixth conferred upon him the title of Duke of
Edinburgh.
Prince Philip was born in Corfu in 1921 into the Greek and Danish royal families.
He joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18 and from July that year began a correspondence with the thirteen-year-old Princess Elizabeth that would go on to become 74-year marriage.
We take a look back on the Duke of Edinburgh's early years.