Prince Philip died on Friday April 9. He was 99 years old.
The royal family confirmed Philip’s death early Friday morning in a statement shared on Twitter.
“It is with deep sadness that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the statement read.
The announcement confirmed that Prince Philip passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle.
Philip had suffered from various health and medical issues over the past few years.
In June 2017, Philip was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital for treatment of an infection. In April 2018, he underwent hip replacement surgery. In December 2019, he was hospitalized to receive treatment for an undisclosed “pre-existing condition”.
He and the Queen were vaccinated against COVID-19 at Windsor Castle on January 9, 2021. The following month, February 16, Philip was admitted to hospital as a “precautionary measure” after apparently falling ill from an infection.
On March 1, he was transferred to another hospital to undergo “tests and observations” related to heart disease.
Prince Philip was born in Corfu, Greece on June 10, 1921. Born into the Greek and Danish royal families, his family was exiled from Greece during his childhood in the midst of the Greco-Turkish War, and he spent his youth to study across Europe. In 1939, at the age of 18, he joined the British Royal Navy, in which he served during World War II.
That same year, Philip began to correspond with then-Princess Elizabeth, after he first met in the mid-1930s. The couple fell in love and began exchanging letters. After the war, in 1946, Philip asked Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, for his hand in marriage. In 1947, Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles and became a naturalized British citizen. Their engagement was announced on July 10, 1947.
On November 20, 1947, Philip and Elizabeth were married at Westminster Abbey. On the morning of the ceremony, he received the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
Philip was the longest-serving partner of a reigning British monarch, as well as the oldest male member of the British royal family.
On August 2, 2017, Philip retired from royal duties at the age of 96.
Prince Philip is survived by his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and their four children: Charles, Prince of Wales, 72; Anne, Princess Royal, 70 years old; Prince Andrew, Duke of York, 61; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, 56.
