His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died on the morning of 9 April 2021 at Windsor Castle. He passed away at the age of 99 years, two months before his 100th birthday. He was a member of the British royal family as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.
He was born as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on 10 June 1921 into the Greek and Danish royal families. He was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was eighteen months old. After being educated in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939 at the age of 18. During the Second World War he served with distinction in the Mediterranean and Pacific Fleets. He was a keen sportsman, was an advocate for the environment and supported numerous charities including those for preserving the environment, supporting the youth, the British Heart Foundation, amongst others. He remained extremely active until his retirement from his royal duties on 2 August 2017, completing 22,219 solo public engagements since 1952. He met the Royal Marines in his final solo public engagement at age 96. The then UK Prime Minister Theresa May thanked him for "a remarkable lifetime of service".
Prince Philip was well acquainted with India. He accompanied The Queen on visits to India in 1959, 1961, 1983 and 1997. The President of India expressed grief over the passing away of The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In a tweet, he said, he is saddened to learn about the passing away of The Prince Philip, friend and admirer of India. He said, his thoughts and prayers are with The Queen and members of the Royal Family. The Prime Minister of India said that his thoughts are with the British people and the Royal Family on the passing away of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. PM Modi recalled his distinguished career in the military and said that he (Prince Philip) was at the forefront of many community service initiatives.
It was during his first visit to India in 1959 that HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, laid the foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi on January 27, 1959. Established as College of Engineering in 1961, the Institute was later declared as an Institution of National Importance and renamed "Indian Institute of Technology Delhi" in 1963. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, is one of the fifteen Institutes of Technology created as centers of excellence for training, research and development in science, engineering and technology in India. The Institute has made a notable mark in higher technical education and research. It has been ranked very high among national and international institutions of higher learning.
I had the privilege of briefly meeting HRH The Prince Philip in July 2008 in Accra, Ghana. He was visiting Accra for the 30th Triennial Conference of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League. During his visit, the then British High Commissioner to Ghana held a reception in his honour at the British Residence. I was struck by the easy manner in which The Prince Philip mingled with the invitees. He spoke at length to me recalling his visits to India.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth were married on 20 November, 1947. Theirs would perhaps be the longest marriage in British Royalty. The loss of her life partner of over 70 years would undoubtedly be felt most personally by the Monarch. In private, according to information online, the Queen is supposed to have described her husband's death as "having left a huge void in her life". The Queen referred to Prince Philip in a speech on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as her "constant strength and guide". Referring to Prince Philip in a speech in 1997, Queen Elizabeth said, “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years ..”. Sharing the quote, the Royal Family wrote, “At The Queen’s Coronation in 1953, The Duke of Edinburgh swore to be Her Majesty’s ‘liege man of life and limb’. The Duke was a devoted consort (companion to the Sovereign) for almost 70 years, from Her Majesty’s Accession in 1952 until his death.”
May his soul rest in peace.
