Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, has worked in support of Queen Elizabeth II since she ascended the throne in 1952. Before assisting the queen, he was in the military and rising through the ranks.
Here are five facts about Prince Philip.
He was born on Corfu, an island off Greece’s northwest coast
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born on the Grecian island Corfu on June 10, 1921, to Princess Alice of Battenburg and Prince Andrew of Greece, according to the BBC.
He is the youngest of five children and the only son.
His childhood was unconventional
According to Philip Eade's book, "Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life," Prince Philip's mother was sent to a psychiatric clinic in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, when he was 9. Her exact illness is not known, but some speculation says Alice had manic depression.
Although they never divorced, his parents separated and Philip was sent to Britain to be raised by his uncle and extended family.
He had a career in the Royal Navy
According to BBC, Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 at age 18 and served during World War II.
In 1942, he was the youngest first lieutenant of HMS Wallace at age 21.
In 2011, Queen Elizabeth made him lord high admiral of the United Kingdom as a 90th birthday present.
Queen Elizabeth II is Prince Philip's third cousin
Both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II are directly related to Queen Victoria.
According to Business Insider, Victoria is Elizabeth's paternal great-great-grandmother and Philip is related to the monarch on his mother's side.
Related: Photos: Prince Philip through the years
Prince Philip married the queen on Nov. 20, 1947, but the two first made an impression on each other eight years earlier during a tour of the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth when she was 13 years old.
Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
According to Vanity Fair, Philip was invited to dine with the royal family during the 1939 visit. Queen Elizabeth's governess would later recall that Elizabeth "never took her eyes off him," but Philip "did not pay her any special attention."
He has interesting nicknames for Queen Elizabeth II
One of the Duke's pet names for the queen is "cabbage," according to a 2006 report from The Sunday Times, which could come from the French term of affection — "mon petit chou" — which could be literally translated to "my little cabbage."
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