Earlier this week the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated his 88th birthday. On his birthday, which was Wednesday, 10th June, he carried out five public engagements. For most people that would have been more than enough for one day, but he then accompanied the Queen to catch the Royal Train overnight to Dorset. In all he undertook more than 350 official engagements last year At the age of 88 Prince Philip still enjoys walking, shooting and carriage driving.
The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Philippos of Greece and Denmark) was born on 10 June 1921, he has been the husband of the Queen since 20 November 1947, and her consort since 6 February 1952. Originally a member of the Danish-German House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, but renounced these titles shortly before his marriage and adopted the surname of his maternal grandparents, to become known as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. He became the realms longest serving consort on 19 April 2009, amassing 57 years and 71 days and thereby becoming consort for longer than Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. In addition to his royal duties, the the Duke of Edinburgh is also the patron of many organisations, including The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. A great environmentalist he has published and spoken widely for half a century on this subject.
Philip was born on the island of Corfu, the only son and fifth child of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Philip was first educated in France before being sent to the United Kingdom to attend Cheam School. During the next three years all his sisters married German noblemen and moved to Germany, his mother was placed in an asylum after being diagnosed as schizophrenic and his father moved to a small flat in Monte Carlo. Philip was then sent to Schule Schloss Salem in Germany. With the rise of Nazism in Germany, Salem's Jewish founder, Kurt Hahn, founded a new school, in Gordonstoun, Scotland. After two terms at Salem Philip moved to Gordonstoun.
After leaving Gordonstoun in 1939, Philip joined the Royal Navy, graduating the next year from the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, as the top cadet on his course. In a distinguished naval career, he became one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy, in 1942, at the age of 21. He was present in Tokyo Bay when the instrument of Japanese surrender was signed. He gave up his naval career to take up his duties as Consort to the Queen.
In 1956, the Duke founded the Duke of Edinburgh's Award with Kurt Hahn, in order to give young people "a sense of responsibility to themselves and their communities." There has been no better example of this than the Duke of Edinburgh himself.
