Prince Philip

* Season 6
* Season 5
* Season 4
* Season 3
* Season 2
* Season 1

**Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh** (born **Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark**, later **Philip Mountbatten**) was the husband, and consort of Queen Elizabeth II from 1947 to 2021. In *The Crown* series, he is portrayed by Matt Smith in seasons 1 and 2, with brief appearance in Season 6, Tobias Menzies in seasons 3 and 4, and Jonathan Pryce in seasons 5 and 6.

## Biography

Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in Corfu, Greece, Philip escaped his home country with his family, which settled in England. In September 1934 he enrolled at the prestigious Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland and became one of its first students. In 1938 he graduated at the top of his class and enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1939, completing a term as a cadet at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. He then briefly returned to Greece, but went back to England to resume training, graduating from Dartmouth in 1940 as the best cadet in his course. During the Second World War, he served in numerous positions on several Royal Navy ships. Philip was mentioned in dispatches for his service at the Battle of Cape Matapan. During his posting to HMS Wallace, he saved his ship from a night time enemy bomber attack. When the war ended in 1945, Philip was among the witnesses to the Japanese surrender in Tokyo bay. After the war ended, he became an instructor at HMS Royal Arthur. His final posting would be HMS Magpie, and served as its Commander until 1953.

In 1946, Philip asked for the hand in marriage of then-Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George VI. The King granted his request, but provided that the couple wait have to wait until Elizabeth's 21st birthday in April. In 1947, Philip renounced his title, converted from Greek Orthodoxy to the Church of England, and became a naturalized British citizen in order to marry Princess Elizabeth. He also adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother's family. Before the wedding, he was knighted and briefly became Sir Philip Mountbatten. He was created Baron Greenwich of Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth and Duke of Edinburgh by King George VI following his marriage. In June 1948 he was appointed Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Sovereign, and in November 1948 he was appointed to the Privy Council by the King. Upon Elizabeth's accession to the throne after George VI's sudden passing in 1952, he became Prince Consort to the Queen in addition to his other titles. In 1957, he was created His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh by Queen Elizabeth II. He was referred to both as HRH Prince Philip and the Duke of Edinburgh.

He died on 9 April 2021, after 73 years of marriage to the Queen, and the title of Duke of Edinburgh was passed down to Prince Charles, where he briefly held it in addition to his role as Prince of Wales from 2021 to 2022. In 2023, Philip's youngest son, Prince Edward, who was Earl of Wessex, became the new Duke of Edinburgh and also the patron of the Duke of Edinburgh's award.

## Honours

During the series, Prince Philip is seen wearing numerous Orders and medals. As a result of his wartime service he would attain the rank of Commander at the time of his marriage with the then-Princess Elizabeth.

He held the following, and wears two foreign honours Constantly:

* Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG) - 1947
* Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT) - 1952
* Grand Master and First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE) - 1953
* Member of the Order of Merit (OM) - 1968
* War Cross (Greece) - 1945
* Croix de Guerre with Palm (France) - 1945
* Order of the Dogwood (British Columbia) - 1971
* Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order - 2017

## Trivia

* Prior to Seasons 3 and 4, actor Paul Bettany was supposed to play Prince Philip but he turned down due to many projects.
	+ Incidentally, he would later co-star with Claire Foy (Elizabeth's first actress) in *A Very British Scandal*.
* Just like his fellow co-star Josh O'Connor (Charles' first actor), Tobias Menzies is also supporting republicanism in the United Kingdom despite playing a member of the Royal Family in Seasons 3 and 4.