Prince Philip

1. Family Background

Prince Philip was born in Corfu, Greece, on 10 June 1921. He was the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Thus, Prince Philip received the title 'Prince of Greece and Denmark'. On his father’s side, he has Danish roots and on his mother's side, he has German and British roots. (Brendon & Whitehead 125, http://www.royal.gov.uk/)

2. Childhood/Adolscence

Prince Philip spent a very turbulent childhood after his parents had got divorced in 1930. He spent his childhood with many of his European relatives, and after all his uncle Lord Mountbatten adopted him. Mountbatten raised his nephew very strictly. Philip attended the “spartan academy of Gordonstoun” (Brendon & Whitehead, p. 125). After school, he became member of the Royal Navy. (Brendon & Whitehead, p. 125, http://www.royal.gov.uk/) Indicating his Englishness, Philip adopted his uncle’s name “Mountbatten” as his new family name. From now on he was Prince Philip Mountbatten and no longer Prince Philip “Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksberg” (Brendon & Whitehead, p. 126).

3. Wedding

Prince Philip caught a first glance at the then princess Elizabeth II when he was at the Royal Navy. Her father, King George VI, did not like him but reconciled with Prince Philip before the wedding. Shortly before the wedding, Prince Philip was given the titles ‘Duke of Edinburgh’, ‘Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich’ and he was allocated the rank of ‘Knight of the Garter’ by King George VI. On 21 November 1947 Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey. The wedding was kept secret and equipment had to be kept in limits because of scarcities traced back to the aftermath of the 2nd World War. (Brendon & Whitehead 125, 126; http://www.royal.gov.uk)

4. Miscellaneous

Prince Philip became Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, and thus took a second role beside her. Being no Consort, i.e. being "the husband or wife of a ruler" (Wehmeier, p. 325), Prince Philip often had to struggle for public attention. (Brendon & Whitehead, p. 132) He asserted that his family name will remain, and as a result every descendants who “were neither Royal Highnesses nor Princes or Princesses” (Brendon & Whitebread, p. 133) will have the family name “Mountbatten-Windsor” (Brendon & Whitebread, p. 133). Furthermore, he used to be a very moody father: on the one hand, he was very caring and on the other hand, he was dominant. (Brendon & Whitehead, pp. 197, 198)

5. Bibliography

Brendon, Piers & Whitehead, Philip. 1994. The Windsors: A Dynasty Revealed. London, Sydney and Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton.

The Official Website of the British Monarchy. "The Duke of Edinburgh". London: Buckingham Palace 2008/09. http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheDukeofEdinburgh/TheDukeofEdinburgh.aspx