A Look Back at Prince Philip Through the Years
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Before Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth, she married the handsome foreign Prince Philip from Greece, who also happened to be her third cousin. According to Sally Bedell Smith's biography titled Elizabeth the Queen, Philip came from a tumultuous background despite his lineage. Born in 1921 on the island of Corfu, he moved to Paris at age 1 with his parents, Alice Marie and Prince Andrew of Greece. By age 8, he'd headed to England for boarding school. With generous good looks and confidence, Philip made his way to England with the help of royal relatives. He would later be invited to have lunch with the royal family, and that's when Elizabeth reportedly fell for him. During World War II, Philip served in the Mediterranean and Pacific, and he and Elizabeth wrote each other letters. By 1946, he was back in London and making regular visits to Buckingham Palace. During that summer, he spent a month at the royal family's Balmoral Estate, where he proposed. Their wedding was held at Westminster Abbey on Nov. 20, 1947.
During their 73 years of marriage, most of them during Elizabeth's reign as the monarch, Prince Philip was a constant as the Queen herself, although sometimes a bit more controversial, making the occasional insensitive gaffes. But when he wasn't giving the press an unfortunate quote to run, he was either by the Queen's side, working as a patron for several charities, or, in the later years of his life, enjoying carriage racing.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died at age 99 on April 9, 2021. In honor of his extraordinary life, we look back at our favorite photos and moments of the Queen's consort.
Princess Elizabeth II of England and Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, posed on their wedding day: Nov. 20, 1947.
The royal couple with two of their children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, in 1951.
The pair waved at the crowd after Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953.
The royal family posed with King Hussein of Jordan and his wife Queen Dina during their honeymoon in England in 1955.
The family sat together for lunch at Windsor Castle in 1969.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip smiled at each other at a state banquet in 1970.
The royal family posed for a photo at Buckingham Palace in 1972.
The royal pair sat with their pup at Scotland's Balmoral Castle in 1974.
The Duke of Edinburgh participated in carriage driving at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1975.
Queen Elizabeth II, her mother, Prince Philip, and Prince Edward attended Scotland's Braemar Gathering in 1975.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived at Royal Ascot in an open carriage during the Summer of 1976.
The couple relaxed while on holiday in Balmoral, Scotland, in 1976.
Prince Philip smiled at his other half during a visit to Fiji in February 1977.
It was all smiles for Queen Elizabeth and her husband during the Silver Jubilee Tour in 1977.
The Duke of Edinburgh sported a helmet during an official visit to Tanzania on July 19, 1979.
It was all smiles when the pair met Pope John Paul II on Oct. 17, 1980, in Rome.
The royal couple stood together during an official visit to Australia in October 1981.
The royal couple waved to onlookers from their car in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1981.
Prince Philip sipped a drink at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 15, 1982.
Prince Philip competed for the Queens Cup at Cowes Regatta on Aug. 1, 1982.
The Duke of Edinburgh and his wife enjoyed a cup of tea during their tour of the South Pacific islands in October 1982.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walked with the Reagans at Rancho Del Cielo on March 3, 1983.
Prince Philip chatted with Nancy Reagan during a banquet on March 5, 1983, in San Francisco.
The queen beamed alongside her family during the 1983 Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.
The royal family — including baby Harry — watched from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1985.
The royal couple stood on the Great Wall of China during a visit in October 1986.
Members of the cast of Chicago surrounded Prince Philip at the Adelphi Theater on March 4, 1999.
The Queen of England and her husband smiled at the state opening of parliament on Nov. 13, 2002, in London.
Three generations of the royal family posed on June 2, 2003, before a dinner celebrating the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Prince Philip clasped his hands as the pair arrived for a visit to the Sikh Temple in Hounslow, West London.
Queen Elizabeth II couldn't help but laugh as she passed her husband at Buckingham Palace in 2005.
The royal family got together after the wedding of Prince Charles and his former mistress, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, on April 9, 2005.
Prince Philip participated in the carriage driving event at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 13, 2005.
The Duke of Edinburgh charmed Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on March 26, 2008.
The royal couple attended the Order of the Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle on June 14, 2010.
The royal family watched the sack race from the royal box during the Braemar Highland Games on Sept. 4, 2010.
The royal pair made their way to Buckingham Palace following the royal wedding of William and Kate.
Prince Philip and Pippa Middleton shared a laugh with Prince Harry after the royal wedding.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip greeted the crowd alongside newlyweds Prince William and Princess Catherine on April 29, 2011.
Prince Philip made First Lady Michelle Obama laugh before a state banquet on May 24, 2011, in London, England.
The Duke of Edinburgh looked dapper during the annual Royal Ascot horse racing event on June 15, 2011.
The royal pair waved during their Ladies Day carriage ride on June 16, 2011.
Prince Philip greeted the crowd with flowers at the Great Aussie BBQ on Oct. 29, 2011.
Prince Philip and Hollywood royals Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow attended a drink reception for an art club in October 2011.
The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Edinburgh smiled at each other during a visit to Leicester on March 8, 2012.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II held hands as they left London's St. Paul's Cathedral in March 2015.
The two watched an aircraft from the balcony of Buckingham Palace to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of The Battle of Britain in July 2015.
Prince Philip snuggled under a blanket with Queen Elizabeth II at the Braemar Gathering in September 2015.
Prince William shared a few laughs with Prince Philip at the Rugby World Cup in October 2015.
Prince Philip met with Catholic Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta during a visit to St Pauls Pro-Cathedral in November 2015.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip greeted German President Joachim Gauck at the Buckingham Palace on June 1, 2016.
The royal attended a ceremony of Beating Retreat performed by the Massed Bands of the Royal Marines at Horse Guards in London in May 2016.
Prince Philip held hands with Queen Elizabeth II during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London in May 2016.
Philip and Elizabeth got all dressed up to attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain in 2017.
Philip waved to the crowd while attending his last official public engagement before retiring in 2017.
Philip and the queen were front and center at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
Philip and Queen Elizabeth II stepped out for the Royal Windsor Cup in June 2018.
Philip and the queen attended Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in October 2018.
Philip was in good spirits at Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston's wedding in May 2019.
The Duke of Edinburgh waving through the roof of his car in 1948.
Prince Philip poses for a portrait in Buckingham Palace in December 1958.
Another portrait of Prince Philip, this time posing at home in Windsor Castle in 1987.
Outfitted in his naval uniform, Prince Philip is shown at St. Paul's Cathedral during the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.
Photographed at the Imperial War Museum in London, Prince Philip watches the commemoration ceremony for the 60th anniversary of VJ Day, which marked the end of World War II.