Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh preview

A L IF E TIME DEVOTE D TO Q UE EN A N D COU N T RY

PRINCE PHILIP D U K E o f E D I N BU RG H

HIS LIFE

H I S FA M I LY

H I S RO L E

PrincE PhiliP - dukE of Edinburgh Editor and author: Pauline Hawkins

Production Editor: Dan Sharp

dEsignEr:

Craig Lamb design_lamb@btinternet.com

covEr dEsign: Holly Furness

rEPrograPhics:

Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield

PublishEr:

Steve O’Hara

Publishing dirEctor: Dan Savage Laughter and smiles as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave a service of thanksgiving at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle to mark the 660th anniversary of the founding of the Order of the Garter and the College of St George and the 60th anniversary of the reintroduction of the annual Garter service by King George VI. This picture was taken on April 23, 2008, two days after the Queen’s 82nd birthday.

Introduction T

heir wedding was the culmination of a fairy-tale romance between a beautiful princess and a tall, charming naval officer.

After the Second World War, as Britain recovered and forged a new peacetime future, the country’s collective pulse was quickened by the announcement that Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were to marry.

Together they passed many milestones – her coronation, the arrival of their four children, her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations; the birth of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; travel to numerous Commonwealth countries and significant events up and down the British Isles; their own diamond wedding.

The royal partnership has endured more than 70 years, surviving many of the trials and tribulations that can befall families across the country, but which are not played out so glaringly in the public eye.

This special publication pays tribute to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose unerring support for the Queen – from her accession to the throne in 1953 to her Diamond Jubilee and subsequent 90th birthday celebrations – has earned him a prominent place in the history books.

It features numerous long-forgotten photographs of people who found a great deal of pleasure in meeting the Duke, from the working man and the busy mum to the leaders of some of the world’s most powerful nations.

Actors, musicians, comedians and entertainers lit up the pages of daily newspapers as the Duke toured the country, meeting and greeting a host of celebrities during his engagements, often related to his work with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

We hope you enjoy delving into this publication, which brings back many memories of the fashions, the people, the hopes and the happenings of a royal life spanning many decades.

commErcial dirEctor:

Nigel Hole

markEting managEr: Charlotte Park cpark@mortons.co.uk

distribution:

tradesales@mortons.co.uk classicmagazines.co.uk/tradesales

PrintEd by:

William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton

isbn:

978-1-911276-23-4

PublishEd by:

Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR. Tel: 01507 529529

coPyright:

Mortons Media Group Ltd, 2017 All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

INTRODUCTION

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CHAPTER 3 Cambridge conn nection: the Duke was in Cam mbridge on Februaryy 12, 2009, where he unveiled a plaque naming a train University of Cam mbridge to mark the 800th annive ersary of the world-famous seat of learning.

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PRINCE PHILIP - DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Con ntents CHAPTER 1 | PAGE 10

An extraordinary life

CHAPTER 2 | PAGE 16 Royal blood

CHAPTER 3 | PAGE 20

A military man

CHAPTER 4 | PAGE 30 Love blossoms in wartime…

CHAPTER 5 | PAGE 36

A fairy-tale wedding – and a coronation

CHAPTER 6 | PAGE 42

Family tree, family ties

CHAPTER 7 | PAGE 50

Celebrity circles

CHAPTER 8 | PAGE 60 Supporting young people CHAPTER 9 | PAGE 66

Work, rest and play

CHAPTER 10 | PAGE 76 Seventy years of sartorial splendour INSET T: The Duke of Edinburgh during a tour of battlefields in the e Crimea, Ukraine, on October 23, 2004. As Colonel in Chief of the Queen’s Royall Hussars, the Duke was commemorating the 150th annivversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade. The 83-year-old royal joined a coach party of regim mental top brass touring the battlefields of the Crimean War with Russia, visiting the battle efield at Balaclava where, in 185 54, courageous British cavalrymen rode to their deaths in the infamous Light Brigade charg ge.

IMAGE CREDITS:

PRESS ASSSOCIATION IMAGES, PAIMAGES.CO.UK Unless otheerwise stated, the images in this publication are cou urtesy of the Press Association.

CHAPTER 11 | PAGE 82 Quips and quotes

CHAPTER 12 | PAGE 88

Side by side

CHAPTER 13 | PAGE 102 Royal milestones

CHAPTER 14 | PAGE 108 Did you know?

CHAPTER 15 | PAGE 114

Working well into retirement

CHAPTER 16 | PAGE 122 The future of the monarchy CONTENTS

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Chapter 3

First born: Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh hold their first child Prince Charles, aged six months. The photograph was taken on April 26, 1949.

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Prince PhiliP - Duke of eDinburgh

Who remembers the long, hot summer of 1976? The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, pictured during their traditional summer break at Balmoral Castle, in September of that year.

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CHAPTER 3

The Queen presents a delighted Duke with New Zealand’s highest honour, the Order of New Zealand, at Buckingham Palace on June 6, 2013.

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PRINCE PHILIP - DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Look of love: the couple gaze contentedly into each other’s eyes as they celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary in November 2007 at Broadlands, where they spent their wedding night 60 years previously.

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Chapter 1

November 20, 1947: the couple wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding.

An extraordinary life D

ashing, tall and handsome, he captured the heart of a princess who would one day become Queen. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has stood proudly and loyally by his wife’s side since their wedding on a November day in 1947. Despite the turmoil of the Second World War, the couple’s teenage friendship blossomed into romance and Princess Elizabeth’s joy was complete when she walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey to join her husband-tobe at the altar.

There followed the unexpectedly early and sudden loss of her father, King George VI, in 1952 – but from Elizabeth’s subsequent coronation emerged a triumphant reign which saw the royal couple travel all over the globe, meeting kings and queens, prime ministers and presidents, witnessing the terms in office of numerous heads of state begin and come to an end.

Over those seven decades the Duke of Edinburgh has been at the Queen’s side through times good and bad – happiness at the birth of their four children; sadness when the marriages of Charles to Diana, Anne to Captain Mark Phillips and Andrew to Sarah Ferguson ended in divorce.

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Prince PhiliP - Duke of eDinburgh

He was there to comfort the Queen during her ‘annus horribilis’, which saw Windsor Castle engulfed by fire in November 1992, just days after their 45th wedding anniversary, and supported her at crucial times, including following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in August 1997.

Sometimes controversial, occasionally brusque, often entertaining and always smartly dressed, the Duke of Edinburgh played a prominent role in the British monarchy during the 20th and 21st centuries, providing it with a backbone of staunch dependability.

That role as the head of ‘The Firm’, as he reputedly dubbed the royal family, gave the Queen someone to confide in and provided a metaphorical, and maybe physical at times, shoulder to cry on.

The part he has played in the dynasty cannot be underestimated and within the pages of this special publication we look back with admiration and warmth at the achievements, the celebrations, the successes and the occasional faux pas that made the Duke of Edinburgh an integral and unforgettable part of the House of Windsor.

Chapter 1

A magical family moment, as Prince Charles and Princess Anne are pushed on a swing by their father, the Duke of Edinburgh, with their mother looking on, in the grounds of Balmoral on September 14, 1955.

Unnoticed by passers-by, the Duke of Edinburgh, Renter Warden of the Fishmongers’ Hall, crosses the pavement near Billingsgate Market, after he had paid a surprise visit to the market, London’s great fish distribution centre, on March 31, 1960. He had spent an hour and a quarter watching the market at work, having arrived there at 7.30am.

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Prince PhiliP - Duke of eDinburgh

May 4, 1953: The Duke of Edinburgh in the cockpit of an aircraft at White Waltham airfield in Berkshire, when he made his last three flights before qualifying for his Royal Air Force wings.