Prince Phillip, Dead at 99

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace, on June. 2, 1953. (Leslie Priest / AP)

 

AXIOS

The United Kingdom's Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died at 99, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.

The big picture: The Duke of Edinburgh, who spent 28 days in the hospital earlier this year, was married to the queen for more than 70 years.

What they're saying: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle," the Royal Family said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a short address outside Downing Street: "Prince Philip earned the affection of generations here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world."

• "He was the longest serving consort in history and one of the last surviving people in this country to have served in World War II at Cape Matapan, where he was mentioned in despatches for bravery."
• "Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remained an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life."

Background: Born into Greek and Danish royal families, Philip and his family were exiled from Greece when he was an infant. At 18, he joined the Royal Navy and was on active duty in 1945 at the end of World War II.

• After exchanging correspondence with Elizabeth, they married in 1947 and raised four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren together.
• He remained a steady support figure for Elizabeth through the years. She called him her "strength and stay" in a speech on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.
• Though the prince was intensely private, he helped modernize the royal family's image through the 20th century, becoming the first royal to do a TV interview.
• He was also known to make occasional gaffes and racist jokes. He retired from his public role in 2017.