(CMR) Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and the oldest member of the Royal family, died Friday morning, April 9. He was 99 years old.
A statement from Buckingham Palace Friday read, ” 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 continued.
Prince Phillip who spent a month in hospital after being hospitalized in February, had undergone two heart procedures before returning to join the Queen at Windsor Castle last month.
Prince Philip and the Queen had been married for 73 years.
On their golden anniversary the Queen said of her husband:
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all this years.”
No official details have been released yet about the Duke's funeral, but it is understood he will be given a royal ceremonial funeral rather than a state funeral, in line with his wishes.
The Queen will sign off the final plans in the coming days.
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born on the island of Corfu in 1921.
The prince joined the Royal Navy as a cadet at 18 years old. During the Second World War, he actively served in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and was mentioned in despatches for his bravery.
In 1947 he renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles, took on the surname of Mountbatten, and became a naturalized British subject ahead of his marriage to Princess Elizabeth.
Their wedding was the first great state occasion after the end of the Second World War.
They had four children – Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
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