Fact files > The Duke of Edinburgh

Insight magazine Contact FAQs Site map Copyright Search About this site

A list of 80 key facts about The Duke of Edinburgh

1. The Duke of Edinburgh was born at the villa ‘Mon Repos’ on the island of Corfu, on 10 June 1921. He left Corfu on 3 December 1922, when he was just 18 months old.

2. The Duke is the youngest child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His grandfather was a Prince of Denmark, who became King of Greece. The Duke is also related to Kings of Prussia and Emperors of Russia. The Duke renounced his Greek royal title in 1947 and became a naturalised British subject following his service in the Royal Navy.

3. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Queen are both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. The Duke is a direct descendent of Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria. The Queen is a direct descendent of Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII).

4. The Duke was Head Boy of his school. From 1934 Prince Philip went to Gordonstoun school in Morayshire, Scotland. He excelled at sports and physical activities, ending as captain of the school’s hockey and cricket teams.

5. After leaving school The Duke of Edinburgh took the Civil Service examination and was accepted into the Royal Navy as a Special Entry Cadet. At the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, the Duke was awarded the King’s Dirk as the best all-round cadet of his term and the Eardley-Howard-Crockett Prize for the best cadet (the prize was a £2 book token).

6. The Duke was in active service in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World war. The Duke’s first naval appointment, aged 18, was as a midshipman to HMS RAMILLIES, which escorted the first contingents of the Allied Expeditionary Force from Australia to Egypt.

7. The Duke of Edinburgh was mentioned in dispatches for his service in the Second World War. His Royal Highness joined HMS VALIANT in the Mediterranean Fleet and was involved in several engagements, including, on 21 March 1941, the battle of Matapan against the Italian fleet. For his work in control of the searchlights, Prince Philip gained his honourable citation by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham (later Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope). Prince Philip was later awarded the Greek War Cross of Valour.

8. At the age of 21, Prince Philip was one of the youngest officers in the Royal Navy to be made First Lieutenant and second-in-command of a ship – destroyer escort HMS WALLACE of the Rosyth Escort Force. In July 1943 Wallace was despatched to the Mediterranean and provided cover for the Canadian beachhead of the Allied landings in Sicily. Prince Philip later served in the destroyer HMS WHELP in the Pacific, and was present in Tokoyo Bay for the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945.

9. The Duke of Edinburgh married The Princess Elizabeth, heir to the British Throne, on 20 November 1947. The wedding was covered on radio and television, one of the first major Royal broadcasts.

10. After marrying Princess Elizabeth, The Duke of Edinburgh continued his naval career, reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in charge of the frigate HMS MAGPIE. He was stationed away from home but was visited at his base in Malta by his new wife.

11. From July 1951 The Duke of Edinburgh took up no more active naval appointments owing to Princess Elizabeth’s increased Royal responsibilities. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 15 January 1953. His other service appointments are Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

12. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip took the place of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on a Commonwealth tour which started in early 1952. While in Kenya early in the tour – on 6 February 1952 – the couple learned of the King’s death and The Queen’s Accession.

13. Most people know him as HRH The Duke of Edinburgh but Prince Philip has two other titles: Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. All three titles were conferred upon the Duke in 1947 by King George VI.

14. The Duke is a qualified pilot. He gained his RAF wings in 1953, his helicopter wings in 1956 and his private pilot’s licence in 1959. Prince Philip has notched up 5,986 hours in 59 types of aircraft. The Duke’s final flight was on 11 August 1997 from Carlisle to the island of Islay, since when His Royal Highness has decided to stop flying.

15. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and International Award were founded by the Duke to introduce young people to new experiences, including physical, skills-based and community challenges. The scheme has been a huge international success. Since 1956, almost five and a half million young people from over 90 countries have taken part.

16. With his naval background, Prince Philip remains a keen sailor and has competed regularly at Cowes Regatta. He is Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron and Patron of many sailing clubs. He was President of the Royal Yachting Association from 1956 to 1970, and from 1975 to 1980.

17. As husband of the Sovereign, The Duke of Edinburgh was not crowned or anointed at the Coronation ceremony in 1953. He was the first layman to do homage to The Queen, kneeling at her feet before kissing her left cheek; he was followed in the act by the other peers of the realm.

18. The Duke of Edinburgh is a prolific writer on environmental, technological, equestrian and animal subjects. His books include: Selected Speeches 1948-1955 (1957); Prince Philip Speaks (1960); Birds from Britannia (1962); Wildlife Crisis (with James Fisher, 1970); The Environmental Revolution (1978); Competition Carriage Driving (1982, rev. 1994); A Question of Balance (1982); Men, Machines and Sacred Cows (1984); A Windsor Correspondence (1984); Down to Earth (1988); Survival or Extinction: A Christian Attitude to the Environment (1989); Driving and Judging Dressage (1996); 30 Years On and Off The Box Seat (2004). Down to Earth is even available in Japanese.

19. Prince Philip has accompanied The Queen on all her Commonwealth tours and State visits, as well as on public engagements in all parts of the UK. The first of these was the Coronation tour of the Commonwealth from November 1953 to May 1954, when the couple visited countries in North America, the Caribbean, Australasia, Ceylon and Africa, travelling a distance of 43,618 miles.

20. The Duke of Edinburgh undertakes many Royal duties. To date His Royal Highness has fulfilled over 19,500 official engagements, excluding those accompanying The Queen, an average of 370 each year. The pace hasn’t slowed – in 2004 he undertook 289 solo engagements in the UK and abroad.

21. Although he is a Privy Counsellor, the Duke has no constitutional role. Prince Philip is a member of the House of Lords, but has never spoken there owing to his proximity to The Queen, who remains politically neutral.

22. The Duke of Edinburgh takes a hands-on approach to the organisations which he represents. He is a seasoned chairman of meetings, and has chaired over 1,500 meetings to date.

23. Science and technology are a major interest. Prince Philip has been Patron of the Industrial Society, now the Work Foundation, since 1952, and has visited research stations, laboratories and every kind of workplace in the UK, to see the practical effects of scientific research in society and to learn about industry. He is keen to promote the development of such professions in a constructive way. In 1976, for example, as President of the Council of Engineering Institutions, he initiated the Fellowship of Engineering, now the Royal Academy of Engineering, which promotes engineering excellence and education.

24. The Duke of Edinburgh is only one of a few consorts to reigning female Queens in British history. William III was co-Sovereign with Mary II, although she, as daughter of James II, was nearer the throne than him. The husband of Queen Anne was not given the title of King, but remained Prince George of Denmark. Prince Albert was created Prince Consort by Queen Victoria in 1857.

25. The Duke of Edinburgh is President of The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. The organisation was established by Queen Victoria in 1850 to mastermind the Great Exhibition, and was personally supervised by Prince Albert. Prince Philip takes an equally enthusiastic role in the organisation, which today supports and promotes scientific and industrial education.

26. Care of the environment has been one of The Duke of Edinburgh’s greatest passions since long before it became a matter of general public concern. The Duke was the first President of World Wildlife Fund-UK from its foundation in 1961 until 1982, was International President of WWF (now World Wide Fund for Nature) from 1981 to 1996, and is now President Emeritus. His involvement has always been more than as a figurehead. He has served on the organisation’s boards and committees, given numerous addresses and speeches and on the subject, and visited WWF projects in over 40 countries on five continents.

27. The Duke of Edinburgh’s official livery colour is dark green, known as ‘Edinburgh Green’. It has been used for staff liveries – The Duke of Edinburgh’s page at the Coronation wore dark green and silver – and for private cars.

28. The Duke enjoys painting in oils. His Royal Highness describes it as ‘an absorbing challenge, for which I have nothing like enough time’.

29. The Duke is an enthusiastic ‘twitcher’. He became interested in bird-watching during two round-the-Commonwealth voyages in HMY BRITANNIA in 1956/7 and 1959. During the trips he was captivated by the sea birds flying round the Yacht in the South Pacific and South Atlantic. The Duke published a book of his photographs from the trips, ‘Birds from BRITANNIA’ in 1962. Since 1987 His Royal Highness has been Patron of the British Trust for Ornithology.

Read The Duke’s account of a penguin rookery in Antarctica:

‘The rookery may contain any number of birds, and the ones I saw must have had two or three thousand birds sitting and squabbling or making their way on their feet or on their tummies to and from the sea. Where there is snow, they simply flop forward and toboggan down the slope. Progress upwards is much more laborious. When they get to the water’s edge they always seem reluctant to get in – like bathers when the water is too cold. Eventually one of a group gets jostled in, and all the others peer over to se what happens. This caution is dictated by the possible presence and appetite of the Leopard Seal, which is said to catch and skin penguins in one movement and toss the skin back into the air.’

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, ‘Birds from BRITANNIA’

30. Naval history is an interest of this former sailor. The Duke of Edinburgh was appointed a Trustee of the National Maritime Museum in 1948 and served until 2000, since when he has been the Museum’s Patron. He was later instrumental in saving the tea clipper CUTTY SARK, Brunel’s S.S. GREAT BRITAIN, HMS WARRIOR (Britain’s first iron-hulled armoured battleship) – and in establishing the Maritime Trust.

31. The Duke of Edinburgh played a key role in the restoration of Windsor Castle after the great fire of 1992. He served as Chairman of the general Restoration Committee, one of the two committees supervising the rebuilding of the damaged rooms.

32. The Duke has always had a strong interest in the welfare of young people through such organisations as the National Playing Fields Association (he has been President since 1948) and the Variety Club of Great Britain.

33. The Duke of Edinburgh was the first member of the Royal family to be interviewed on television. The interview took place in May 1961 when Prince Philip was interviewed by Richard Dimbleby, probably on a subject related to the City & Guilds of London, of which His Royal Highness has been President since 1951.

34. The islanders of Tanna, one of the islands in Vanuatu in the South West Pacific, worship The Duke of Edinburgh as a god. Vanuatu was formerly the Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides, which Prince Philip visited in 1971.

35. Sport has always been a passion of The Duke. As well as sailing, The Duke played cricket and took part regularly in polo until 1971. In his mid-eighties, The Duke continues to compete in four-in-hand carriage driving with his team of Fell ponies. In the past he has represented Britain at several European and World Championships.

36. The ordinary, unsung aspects of life have found a champion in The Duke – including bricks and mortar. Prince Philip served as President of the National Federation of Housing Associations in 1975-80, and chaired the Inquiry into British Housing, which published two reports – in 1985 and 1991.

37. The Duke has travelled widely without The Queen during his naval and public working lives. He has made two round-the-world voyages in the former Royal Yacht BRITANNIA, visiting some of the remotest parts of the Commonwealth as The Queen’s representative. The four-month voyage of 1956-57 included visits to the remote South Atlantic locations of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Ascension Island and St Helena. During the voyage he undertook many royal engagements, meeting Commonwealth communities and British service personnel and workers. On one occasion, deep in the Antarctic, His Royal Highness hosted a reception on board for the lonely scientists of the Survey Base on Deception Island – it included a screening of ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’.

38. The Duke is the founder of the Commonwealth Study Conferences. Held every six years since 1956, the conferences examine the human aspects of industrial issues in Commonwealth nations with the aim of developing industrial and business leaders of high quality.

The Duke of Edinburgh talks about the Commonwealth Study Conference:

‘The first Commonwealth Study Conference convened in Oxford in 1956. It initiated a new process of dialogue between people who are likely to have company responsibilities across the whole spectrum of industry and commerce on the subject of their relationship with the process of the democratic management of communities. The principal purpose of the Conferences is to broaden the perspectives of potential leaders in management, trade unions and public administration so that their decisions are based on a practical understanding of the influence of industrial and commercial enterprises on the general welfare of the civic entity.

The structure of the conferences has remained constant simply because it has been shown to work. Participants come with a wide variety of relatively narrow experiences. The principle of learning by observing and discussion was established from the inception and every opportunity is provided for opinions and assessments to be debated forcefully, but objectively. My hope is that those who attend will leave with many of their assumptions challenged and their comprehension enlarged as a result of working and talking with people from different backgrounds and with different perceptions.

The challenges of new technologies, instant communications and global movement, as well as the changing aspirations of communities, have to be faced by people in positions of responsibility. The intention of this conference is to expose the participants to new experiences, new arguments and different perspectives, so that the quality and relevance of their decisions is improved.’

39. The Duke of Edinburgh is Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. At Trooping the Colour he wears the uniform of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards and always accompanies The Queen, formerly on horseback and, since 2003, in the carriage with Her Majesty.

40. The Duke of Edinburgh has served as Chancellor of the Universities of Cambridge (1976-), Edinburgh (1952-), Salford (1967-91) and Wales (1948-76). He is also a Life Governor of King’s College, London, Patron of the London Metropolitan University and Visitor of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.

41. Prince Philip has put together a significant collection of contemporary paintings. These include a number of Australian paintings; around 150 pictures by contemporary Scottish artists bought for the Palace of Holyroodhouse; bird and wildlife paintings; and a specially commissioned series of views of Windsor and of castles in Germany.

42. In 1963 The Duke of Edinburgh founded a bag-piping trophy for the Pakistan Army. He offered to present the challenge cup after witnessing a display of massed bands of the Pakistan Army while visiting the country with The Queen in 1961.

43. The Duke of Edinburgh is a veteran public speaker. His Royal Highness has made nearly 5,000 speeches – an average of nearly eight a month for 53 years. Not all have been without their pitfalls, as The Duke has reflected:

‘All sorts of unexpected things can happen in speech making. Microphones are getting more reliable but they can still play fancy tricks. Turning a page in a high wind wearing gloves and holding a sword can also be quite exciting. Luckily, I don’t need glasses for reading.’

44. Among unusual official presents received by Prince Philip are two pygmy hippopotami given by President Tubman of Liberia following his State Visit to England in 1961, and a giant porcelain grasshopper, presented by the French President in 1972.

45. The Duke has a particular interest in the use of the English language as a means of promoting communication among countries worldwide. Since 1952 he has been President of the English Speaking Union, a society which organises scholarships, exchanges and public speaking events around the world.

46. Since 1997 His Royal Highness has awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal for the World Wide Fund for Nature. It is the organisation’s highest international award.

47. One of Prince Philip’s more unusual collections is his series of contemporary cartoons, some featuring Royal occasions. They are hung in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral. The Duke is following a tradition pursued by the Royal family since the eighteenth century. Both George III and George IV collected caricatures, now in the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

48. The Prince Philip Designer’s Prize has been awarded to the Designer of the Year since 1959. The award is made to a British designer or design-team leader whose exemplary work has had a significant effect on the perception of design by the public, and on the status of designers in society. The recipient is selected by a panel of judges chaired by The Duke of Edinburgh as representing the most outstanding lifetime achievement in design. Nominations are put forward by professional bodies, and design organisations.

49. In 1976 The Duke of Edinburgh was immortalised as a waxwork at Madame Tussaud’s Museum, London.

50 The Duke of Edinburgh is the second holder of the title. The first was his great-great-uncle, Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, fourth child and second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was born on 6 August 1844 and created Duke of Edinburgh in 1866. Like the present Duke, Prince Alfred had a successful naval career and rose to become Admiral of the Fleet in 1893. Prince Alfred died on 30 July 1900 in Coburg.

51. The Duke has turned television presenter on several occasions. In May 1957 His Royal Highness presented a programme on the BBC about his four and a half month tour of the Commonwealth from October 1956 to February 1957. In 1967 Prince Philip made a film, The Enchanted Isles, about the Galapagos islands, for television. He has also presented programmes in connection with the International Geophysical Year and the Central Council of Physical Recreation.

52. Prince Philip has played an enthusiastic role in The Queen’s Awards for Export and Technology from its beginnings in 1965. He was Chairman of the Originating Committee for The Queen’s Award for Industry, as it was then known. The award recognises significant contributions to British industry and technological development.

53. The Duke of Edinburgh is the Grand Master and First or Principal Knight of the Order of the British Empire, founded in the twentieth century to reward the work and service of members of the general public. The Duke has said of the Order:

‘The Order has made it possible to recognise contributions to the public good by people from all walks of life. It has given many thousands of people immense personal satisfaction and a comforting sense of belonging to a company or fellowship of good citizenship.’

54. The Queen’s Gallery, the public showcase for exhibitions of art from the Royal Collection, was built at the suggestion of The Duke of Edinburgh. Converted from the bomb-damaged Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace and opened to the public in July 1962, the Gallery has hosted exhibitions of all types of art. It was redesigned, and reopened by The Queen in her Golden Jubilee year in 2002.

55. Prince Philip still relishes adventurous challenges. In May 1985 His Royal Highness drove a coach and four across Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, as the tide was coming in. The feat involved negotiating both treacherous quicksands and the incoming water.

56. In 1958 The Duke of Edinburgh commissioned celebrated British composer Benjamin Britten to produce a setting for the Jubilate and Te Deum for the St George’s Chapel Choir, Windsor. The modern settings were a new departure for the previously traditional choral music used at the Chapel.

57. The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron or President of around 800 organisations. The longest-standing association is with the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs, now London Youth, of which His Royal Highness became Patron in 1947.

58. The Duke of Edinburgh has been President of the Marylebone Cricket Club twice – in 1949-50 and 1974-75.

59. A Royal gun salute is fired on The Duke of Edinburgh’s birthday and the Union Jack is flown on government buildings from 8am until sunset.

60 Prince Philip is a Freeman of the cities of Acapulco; Belfast; Bridgetown; Barbados; Cardiff; Dar-es-Salaam; Tanzania; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Guadalajara; London; Los Angeles; Melbourne; Nairobi.

61. The Duke supports inter-faith and inter-denominational dialogue. In 1965 he co-founded St George’s House with Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor, as a forum for discussion. It holds consultations in which people representing every aspect of society – industry, commerce, politics, sciences, the arts and the Church – explore and communicate ideas.

62. The Duke of Edinburgh’s badge shows a coronet surmounting the Garter, encircling an Heraldic Edinburgh Castle. It was originally designed in 1948 as the Edinburgh badge for use by both Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth as Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. After The Queen’s Accession in 1952, Prince Philip continued to use it for himself.

63. The Duke is Ranger of Windsor Great Park.

64. Where appropriate, Prince Philip wears the tartans of The Highlanders and of other Scottish regiments with which he was associated before their amalgamation. He also wears the two ‘royal’ tartans: the Royal Stewart Tartan and the Balmoral Tartan.

65. The Duke of Edinburgh has his own standard. The first three quarters show Prince Philip’s lineage: Denmark (lions and hearts); Greece (white cross on blue); Mountbatten (two black ‘pales’ on white). The fourth quarter contains the arms of the City of Edinburgh and represents his title.

66. Prince Philip is a committed and enquiring Christian, with a particular interest in the relationship between science and faith. Below is a prayer written by His Royal Highness:

‘O Lord, the creator of the universe and author of the laws of nature, inspire in us thy servants the will to ensure the survival of all the species of animals and plants, which you have given to share this planet with us. Help us to understand that we have a responsibility for them and that ‘having dominion’ does not mean that you have given us the right to exploit the living world without thought for the consequences. Through him who taught us that Solomon in all his glory could not compare with the beauty of the flowers of the field.’

67. In addition to founding design prizes, The Duke has dabbled in design himself. The Prince Philip Greyhound Collar – a prize awarded for greyhound racing – was produced in silver to The Duke’s own design.

68. The Duke has been President of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) since 1952. The organisation – which is 250 years old – promotes discussion followed by practical projects or awards within the areas of design, arts, education, environment and business.

69. As well as working for many fund-raising campaigns, from 1952 to 1999 The Duke of Edinburgh helped to make money quite literally – as President of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee on the design of coins, seals and medals.

70. As President of the International Equestrian Federation from 1964 to 1986 Prince Philip was involved in defining the rules and regulations for several equestrian sports. Under the guidance of the Duke, International Rules were created for Carriage Driving, Long Distance Riding and Vaulting, and Veterinary Committee and Veterinary Regulations were introduced.

71. The Duke of Edinburgh’s coat of arms bears the motto ‘God is my help’ as well as the motto of the Order of the Garter – ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’.

72. Prince Philip takes an active interest in staff sports clubs in the Royal Household. He is President of the Royal Household Cricket Club and attends some of their matches.

73. Since The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme began, thousands of young people have gained the highest award. His Royal Highness has personally presented every Gold Award, even those overseas.

74. The Duke is Patron of Voluntary Service Overseas, the organisation which sends people overseas to share their skills with people in developing countries.

75. The Duke of Edinburgh had four elder sisters – Princess Margarita (1905-81), Princess Theodora (1906-69), Princess Cécile (1911-37), and Princess Sophie (1914-2001).

76. In the official and private Royal residences The Duke takes an active part in planning the gardens and refurbishment. At Windsor Castle and Sandringham he has planted avenues of trees and hedging, and at Balmoral he has laid out gardens and planting beds.

77. The Duke helped to design the interior of HM Yacht BRITANNIA, formerly the floating Royal residence for many UK, Commonwealth and overseas tours.

78. The Duke has a strong interest in the welfare of ex-Service men and women. Since 1974, he has been Grand President of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, which provides practical welfare assistance for ex-servicemen and women of the Crown. This was The Duke’s nominated charity for The Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

79. Of the 75 prizes and medals associated with The Duke of Edinburgh, the most unusual is the Silver Wink award. Students at the University of Cambridge challenged Prince Philip to a tiddlywinks match in 1958. The Duke of Edinburgh appointed the Goons – the radio comedy group including Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan – as his Royal champions. The Silver Wink has been awarded by The Duke since 1961 to the winner of the inter-University Tiddlywinks Championships.

80. Prince Philip has seven grandchildren – Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter Philips, Zara Philips and Lady Louise Windsor.