All posts tagged: Prince Philip

Prince Philip’s ‘nomadic’ childhood that turned him into a royal ‘sofa-surfer’

Prince Philip’s ‘nomadic’ childhood that turned him into a royal ‘sofa-surfer’

Throughout his 7 years spent married to the late Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip lived in a number of luxurious properties, from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle. The late Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away in 2021, was certainly used to moving around, having spent his childhood between France, Germany, and the UK. In one report by the BBC, Philip’s childhood was described as “nomadic” with the outlet reporting that, having been born a prince of Greece but then exiled, Philip found himself bouncing around Europe, “the royal equivalent of sofa-surfing”. © Getty ImagesPrince Philip moved around a lot during his childhood Prince Philip’s unsettled childhood The late royal was born in Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. In 1922, Philip’s uncle, King Constantine I, who was the high commander of the Greek expeditionary force, was blamed for Greece’s defeat in the Greco-Turkish War and forced to abdicate.  © Getty ImagesPrince Philip of Greece, later Duke of Edinburgh, as a toddler in July 1922 Philip’s parents were subsequently banished …

How the Royal Family Will Celebrate the Centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s Birth

How the Royal Family Will Celebrate the Centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s Birth

This year, Queen Elizabeth II would have turned 100. So, to celebrate the centenary of her birth on April 21, the royal family has prepared a packed program of tributes and festivities. Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96, after 70 years of the longest reign in British history. To honor her, three official events will be held in the presence of senior members of the Windsor dynasty, starting with King Charles III. Together with his wife, Queen Camilla and other members of the family, the monarch will visit the British Museum to see the final model of the future Elizabeth II memorial, in the company of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Lord Janvrin, the Queen’s former Private Secretary. They will meet the artists who imagined the monument, and watch a short film documenting its conception. The memorial will be located in the heart of St. James’s Park, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. Two statues of the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will be erected, as will …

Inside Prince Philip’s solitary retirement years at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s cottage

Inside Prince Philip’s solitary retirement years at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s cottage

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were married for a happy 74 years after tying the knot in November 1947.  The late Duke of Edinburgh had caught her eye when she was just 13 years old, leading to a legendary love story and the later welcoming of their four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.  This Thursday marks five years since Philip passed away aged 99 – on 9 April 2021 – a day that left the late Queen in mourning.  Royal author Hugo Vickers describes Philip’s final years in his new biography, Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, during which the royal couple spent a considerable amount of time apart.  Philip had completed his final royal engagement on 2 August 2017 as Captain-General of the Royal Marines to mark the end of the 1664 Global Challenge. This was to be the last of some 22,219 public engagements – and it was clear the Queen thought this should be rewarded.  Why Prince Philip’s battle with pancreatic cancer was kept a secret Prince Philip’s years of …

What is the British royal family’s surname? The use of Wales, Sussex and Mountbatten-Windsor explained

What is the British royal family’s surname? The use of Wales, Sussex and Mountbatten-Windsor explained

Members of the British royal family are typically known by their official titles, but when a surname is needed, one does exist. Though prior to 1917, royal family members didn’t have a surname, instead they went by the name of the house or dynasty that they belonged to. That changed when George V adopted Windsor as both the name of the “House” and his family’s surname. While the same name was confirmed by Queen Elizabeth in 1952, she and Prince Philip, according to the royal family’s website, decided in 1960 that they wanted their “own direct descendants to be distinguished from the rest of the Royal Family.” It was then declared in 1960 that descendants of Queen Elizabeth, excluding those who enjoy “the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess,” as well as female members who marry, would use the surname “Mountbatten-Windsor,” a combination of two names linked to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. WATCH: The late Queen’s strict fashion rules for her staff revealed by former …

Andrew accused of ‘physical altercation’ with Elizabeth II aide

Andrew accused of ‘physical altercation’ with Elizabeth II aide

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had a “physical altercation” with one of Elizabeth II’s most senior aides, it has been claimed. The former Duke of York was accused of lashing out at Vice-Adml Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, master of the household, allegedly because he could not accommodate a Pitch@Palace event at Buckingham Palace. His behaviour was considered so concerning that Prince Philip, his late father, reportedly felt obliged to write a letter of apology to Sir Tony. “It was a routine household matter,” a senior member of staff told Robert Hardman, a royal author. “The Duke wanted to have a reception, and there wasn’t any room. It was as simple as that. “Tony said he’d have to wait his turn like anybody else, and the Duke went for him.” According to Mr Hardman, it was “not just an outburst of expletives and a jab of a finger” but what one member of staff described as a “kinetic” blow, which caused astonishment in the royal household. The alleged incident is described in Mr Hardman’s latest book, Elizabeth II, which is …

Inside Prince Philip’s final night before he passed away alone

Inside Prince Philip’s final night before he passed away alone

Prince Philip was known for his stoicism and not wanting a fuss to be made over him, and in his latest book, Queen Elizabeth II, royal biographer Hugo Vickers spoke about the late Duke of Edinburgh’s final night. Speaking on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, he shared: “The night before he died, he went along on his Zimmer frame to the Oak Room, which was that room above the entrance out of which the Queen’s car came out for the funeral, and he was having a beer all by himself. “He gave his nurses the slip. He did not want to live to be 100, and he just slipped away. He got up, I think he had a bath and didn’t feel well and lay down and that was it.“ The royal biographer also spoke about how Philip would likely have disliked being celebrated if he had made it to 100; he died two months shy of the milestone. “He absolutely did not want to be celebrated,” he said. “If you remember, nothing was planned for …

Queen Elizabeth’s surprising unearthed comment about ‘fear’ in marriage to Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth’s surprising unearthed comment about ‘fear’ in marriage to Prince Philip

The late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the longest married royal couple in history, having been wed for 74 years at the time of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s death in 2021. The late monarch famously kept her private life private, but in 1997, she attended a lunch at Banqueting House in London alongside the prime minister at the time, Tony Blair, and made a rare comment about her relationship. © Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the day of their 50th wedding anniversary in Westminster Queen Elizabeth’s long-forgotten marriage comment The Queen made a speech at the lunch held to mark her and Philip’s golden wedding anniversary, having attended a gala lunch at London’s Guildhall with her husband the day before to mark the same milestone.   © Getty ImagesThe Queen and Prince Philip were married for over 70 years “Yesterday, I listened as Prince Philip spoke at the Guildhall, and I then proposed our host’s health. Today, the roles are reversed,” the mother of King Charles said. …

Prince Philip’s habit in 74-year marriage with late Queen Elizabeth made her ‘furious’

Prince Philip’s habit in 74-year marriage with late Queen Elizabeth made her ‘furious’

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth enjoyed a happy 74-year-long marriage, but there was one habit of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s that his wife struggled with. According to British historian Hugo Vickers’ new book Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, Prince Philip spoke about the lead-up to Philip’s passing in 2021, revealing his cause of death. “On the last night of his life, he gave his nurses the slip, shuffled along the corridor on his Zimmer frame, helped himself to a beer and drank it in the Oak Room,”  Vickers penned of Philip’s final days spent at Windsor Castle, with the royal having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013.  © Getty ImagesThe Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were married for 74 years Prince Philip’s marital habit “The following morning, he got up, had a bath, said he did not feel well, and quietly slipped away. By this point, he had lived with pancreatic cancer for nearly eight years – far longer than the usual survival time from diagnosis.”  © Tim Graham Photo Library via GetQueen …

Andrew left ‘mooching in his dressing gown’ during new home revamp | Royal | News

Andrew left ‘mooching in his dressing gown’ during new home revamp | Royal | News

The royal warrant on the side of the van says it all. A truck from Linney Cooper — the flooring company trusted by King Charles to work on Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle — has reportedly been spotted pulling up at Marsh Farm, the Sandringham property that will soon become Prince Andrew’s new home. It is, in its way, a perfect encapsulation of Andrew’s current predicament. The floors may carry the royal seal of approval, but the man moving into them is living a very different life from the one he enjoyed at Royal Lodge — the sprawling 30-room Windsor mansion he clung to for years before finally being pushed out. Renovations at Marsh Farm have been ongoing for several months. Alongside Linney Cooper — whose previous work for Andrew included the carpeting at Royal Lodge, and whose earlier commissions included the full recarpeting of Windsor Castle after the catastrophic 1992 fire according to the company website — a second company, Next Level Flooring Solutions, has also been pictured arriving at the property …

Andrew left ‘visibly shaken’ in ‘dressing down’ by senior royal | Royal | News

Andrew left ‘visibly shaken’ in ‘dressing down’ by senior royal | Royal | News

The former Prince Andrew built a playboy image through numerous romantic liaisons before marrying Sarah Ferguson. After their divorce, the ex-prince allegedly returned to his bachelor ways, even turning up at rock star Courtney Love’s residence to “look for chicks.” In “Prince Andrew: The War Hero from Buckingham Palace” by Jessica Jayne, the author outlines how Andrew was preferred over his brother, Prince Charles, by both the Queen and Prince Philip. She claims: “Andrew was the son that Philip really wanted. The Duke wanted a tough boy, not a sensitive one like Charles. “Andrew inherited his father’s charm and looks as well as the Mountbatten arrogance. He was the only one who could shake his father out of one of his famous sulks.” The book, released in 2012, indicates that over time, it became clear that Andrew, the spare to the heir, had become the Queen’s favourite. Jessica Jayne explains, “His early life as a playboy was hurting the image of the royal family, further worsened by the fact that the prince didn’t perform engagements …