Prince Phillip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at age 99

Danny Lawson – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Phillip, husband to Queen Elizabeth II of England, has died at age 99.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced 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.”  The statement added, “The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”

The Duke of Edinburgh was known as one of the hardest-working members of the royal family during his tenure alongside the country’s longest-reigning monarch. Philip married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and fulfilled thousands of royal duties.  At age 96, in August 2017, Prince Philip retired from his official royal duties with the “full support of the queen,” according to Buckingham Palace.

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II married in 1947 and marked their 73rd wedding anniversary on Nov. 20, 2020.  When King George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952, Philip’s wife became Queen Elizabeth II at age 26.  In 1957, Elizabeth declared the Duke of Edinburgh a prince of the United Kingdom.  They had four children together.

“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” Queen Elizabeth said in 1997, paying tribute to her husband on their golden wedding anniversary.

Prince Philip had been hospitalized a number of times over the last few decades, with increasing visits and stays over the past several years.  Most recently, he was admitted in February as “a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness’s Doctor, after feeling unwell,” according to a Buckingham Palace statement at the time.  It was later revealed he’d received treatment for a pre-existing heart condition and an infection.  He was discharged March 16.

In addition to his wife the Queen and their four children, Prince Phillip is survived by eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.