Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 99.
“Her Majesty the Queen is saddened to announce the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” a statement from Buckingham Palace said.
“His Royal Highness the Prince passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle this morning.”
The Duke of Edinburgh has been with Queen Elizabeth II for more than 60 years of her reign, and in 2009 became the longest-serving spouse of a monarch in British history.
Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, who became Queen five years later. Prince Philip is the longest-serving spouse of a monarch in the history of the United Kingdom.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Duke of Edinburgh “has inspired the lives of countless young people.
In a speech at Downing Street, Prime Minister Johnson added: “He has helped lead the royal family to assist the King so that he continues to be an indisputably important mechanism for maintaining balance and happiness in our national life.”
Prime Minister Johnson said it was with “great sadness” that he heard the news of the Duke’s death.
He said, “Prince Philip was loved by generations in Britain, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
Prime Minister Johnson also referred to Prince Philip as a soldier who fought in the Second World War, of which few are still alive.
Image source, REUTERS
Image captioned with text.
A notice of Prince Philip’s death was posted at the gates of Buckingham Palace
In March, the Duke of Edinburgh left the hospital after a month-long hospitalization.
During that time he underwent heart surgery at another London hospital, St. Bartholomew’s.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “saddened” by the Duke’s death.
Prince Philip and the Queen have four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Their first son, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, was born in 1948, followed by his sister, Princess Anne, in 1950, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in 1960 and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, in 1964.
Prince Philip was born in Corfu, Greece, on June 10, 1921.
His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, the younger son of King George I of Greece, while his mother, Princess Alice, was the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
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