Prince Philip Dead at 99

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died Friday at 99.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed, “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces 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. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”

His death brings to an and his more than 70 years in the public eye. Philip had been the oldest-ever male member of the family, as well as the country's longest-serving consort of a reigning monarch.

Born to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg on June 10, 1921, his family was exiled from Greece when he was a baby. Philip was educated abroad, joined the British Royal Navy at 18, and in 1939 began corresponding with Elizabeth, then a 13-year-old princess.

Following his service in WWII, Philip and Elizabeth became engaged in 1947. They married that year, and he left the military five years later, when Elizabeth became queen.

Upon her ascendance to the throne, Elizabeth proclaimed that her husband have "place, pre-eminence, and precedence... on all occasions and in all meetings," an unusual declaration to address his unique position as the spouse of a monarch.

The celebrated royal couple became the parents of Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Over the course of his wife's historic 60-year reign, Philip has been engaged with hundreds of clubs and organizations, helped popularize the sport carriage driving, was an avid polo player and yachtsman, and chaired the Duke of Edinburgh's Award for young people who are seeking self-improvement.

One of his most memorable appearances was at the funeral of his former daughter-in-law, Diana. His grandson, William, had expressed hesitation as to whether he could walk behind his mother's coffin in the funeral procession. Philip reportedly told him he would regret it later if he didn't, offering, "If I walk, will you walk with me?" Both William and Harry did so.

He retired from royal duties in August 2017 after having appeared more than 20,000 times in an official, solo capacity.

Over the course of most of his life, Philip had enjoyed remarkable good health, with only a few highly publicized trips to hospitals for minor ailments, a 2018 hip replacement, and a 2019 car crash he caused that led to his surrendering of his driver's license.

In December 2020, he was hospitalized for a pre-existing condition. He was hospitalized again and underwent surgery in February.