As we all know, Prince Philip, the longest-serving British consort in history and the husband of Queen Elizabeth II for over seven decades has just passed away at the age of 99.
Prince Philip was the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, who was of British descent. Prince Philip had royal links even before he married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947, perhaps because he would have outranked the Queen’s title or because of his non-British nationality.
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark got married to Prince George, Duke of Kent, in the year of 1934, and the future Queen and Duke encountered for the first time in the light of the occasion. Princess Elizabeth was eight at the time, and Prince Philip was thirteen.
When Elizabeth was 13, she and her family paid a visit to the Royal Naval College, where she reconnected with Prince Philip, who was then a cadet-in-training. One time, Philip was assigned to accompany the royal family on their tour of the college, and he was invited to tea with them the next day. According to some sources, Elizabeth was enthralled at first sight. Philip, a flaxen-haired Aristocrat, was definitely conscious of his charismatic potential. They began writing letters to each other after the encounter.
But this was obviously one of those accidental encounters that get inflated by external factors and turn into something like a fantasy, and in a family where fairytales don’t normally end well. This one, on the other hand, was the origin of the historically long-lasting royal marriage. The two announced their engagement in July 1947, shortly after Elizabeth turned 21.
Text by: Ankita Dutta, IBTN9
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