Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth: Celebrating a love story spanning 73 years [photos]

Prince Philip married princess Elizabeth in 1947 and became quite possibly the most famous husband in the world.

The most famous husband in the world

Now, 73 years later, the Queen announced the death of her beloved husband, on 9 April 2021, as many are looking back on the love story that made Prince Philip the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

After the royal couple met in 1939, they stayed in touch during World War II. soon they were engaged when he renounced his Greek and Danish titles. He was later designated a royal highness and was created a Knight of the Garter, Baron Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth, and Duke of Edinburgh on the eve of his wedding in 1947.

According to Britannica, Prince Philip continued on active service with the Royal Navy, commanding the frigate Magpie, until Elizabeth’s accession to the British throne on 6 February 1952 from which time he shared her official and public life.

Prince Philip’s ‘primary function’

According to the BBC, the royal couple would have just over four years (and two children) together before duty came knocking. The news of Elizabeth ascending to the throne and her father’s subsequent death at the age of 56 reached the couple at a game lodge in Kenya, during their 1952 tour of the Commonwealth.

Commander Michael Parker, the Duke of Edinburgh’s friend and private secretary, described the moment he realised his wife was now Queen.

“He looked as if you’d dropped half the world on him. I have never felt so sorry for anyone in all my life. He just breathed heavily, in and out, as though he were in shock. He saw immediately that the idyll of their life together had come to an end.”

It is said that Prince Philip’s naval ambitions were curbed. The new Queen Elizabeth would need her husband by her side and therefore, the Duke of Edinburgh was named as the Queen’s consort and his primary function was to support his wife.

Mountbatten vs Windsor

Of course, the Queen and Prince Philip did have their rows. In fact, a long-running row broke out in the early 1950s when Prince Philip wanted the Royal Family to take his surname, Mountbatten.

“I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children!” he fumed when the Queen was persuaded to keep Windsor. “I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba!” he said according to the BBC.

The Queen later combined their surnames to make Mountbatten-Windsor which some of the male-line descendants of the couple – like Prince Harry’s son, Archie – still carry today.

The Prince initially struggled to find purpose in the limited role set out for him. But it wasn’t long when he found that he had other passions such as various sports endeavours not to mention the charitable causes he spearheaded.

The longest-serving consort in British history

The publication reports that as the longest-serving consort in British history, the prince took on some 22 191 solo engagements. When he retired from royal duties in 2017, he was said to be patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations.

Accompanying the Queen on Commonwealth tours and state visits, he visited 143 countries in an official capacity, making use of his fluent French and German.

The countries included Vanuatu, a South Pacific island nation, where he is revered by one rainforest community as the reincarnation of an ancient warrior.

Rare words of affirmation

On 20 November 1997, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. In a rare public tribute, the Queen said: “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments. But he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”