Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, passed away on Friday morning at the age of 99. That confirms the British royal family.
“It is with great sorrow that the Queen has announced that her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has passed away,” the message reads at Twitter. “He died peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
The Prince celebrated his 99th birthday in June with his wife Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. The two had been in isolation there since March because of the corona virus. The couple were vaccinated in January.
Philip was admitted to the hospital on February 17 as a precaution because he was unwell. He was fired again a month later. In the meantime, he was treated for an infection and had surgery on his heart.
The prince was previously hospitalized for health problems. This happened in December 2019. In April 2018 he was operated on his hip. In June 2017, the prince was also in hospital because of an infection caused by previous health problems. In 2013, Philip was admitted for pain in his lower abdomen.
Brusque and rough, but respected
Philip was born on June 10, 1921. Legend has it that he was born on a table in a dining room on the Greek island of Corfu. He was Prince of Greece and Denmark.
His life took a different turn when his cousin, Count Louis Mountbatten, who was the last Governor General of British India, took him under his wing. Mountbatten introduced eighteen-year-old Navy Cadet Philip to Elizabeth, five years his junior, who fell in love with him instantly.
Seven years later their engagement was officially announced and in 1947 the couple married at Westminster Abbey in London. Shortly afterwards their first children, Prince Charles (1948) and Princess Anne (1950), were born.
Although Philip was considered brusque and rude, many British respected him. The news that he would withdraw from public life in the fall of 2017 for health reasons led to strong reactions. He did appear at events from time to time after that.
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