England’s reigning Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has passed away. He was 99, Buckingham Palace announced. A statement released on April 9 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 Royal Family joins with people around the world in mourning his loss. Further announcements will be made in due course.”
In accordance with tradition, a sign was hung at the gates of Buckingham Palace, to announce the news of the Duke's passing. But due to coronavirus restrictions, it was removed shortly to prevent crowds from gathering. Well-wishers and royal fans however were quick to leave floral tributes to the much-loved family member.
Prince Philip was a royal with extraordinary privileges but no power– a man without a role, destined to spend his life walking three paces behind his more regaled wife the Queen Elizabeth. But despite marrying a queen, Phillip was never a ‘king’.
When Prince Phillip tied the knot with Elizabeth in 1947, she was then not a queen. He was forced to renounce his Greek and Danish royal titles and Elizabeth’s father, the then King George VI gave him a new title, the Duke of Edinburgh. After the death of her father, Elizabeth became Queen in 1952. Phillip, in turn became the queen's ‘consort’ — the title given to the official companion of the monarch.
This was on account of a parliamentary law that dictated that succession in the British monarchy is not related to bloodline, but gender. This means that the spouse of a ruling king or Queen is known as a consort. In the British royal tradition, a man who marries the queen is known as the prince consort but a woman who marries the king will be the queen consort.
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, travelled to India four times, thrice as the consort of Queen Elizabeth II. But he hit the headlines during his last visit in 1997 for his comments on the number of casualties in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. During that visit, the Queen bowed her head and placed a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial.
On the way out, Prince Philip reportedly stopped to query an official on the number of dead, “Two thousand? It wasn't, was it? That's wrong. I was in the navy with Dyer's son. That's a bit exaggerated…it must include the wounded." The British media have often compiled lists of Prince Philip’s gaffes over the decades.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru received Prince Philip during his first visit in January 1959. He was then better known in New Delhi as the nephew of Louis Mountbatten, India’s last Viceroy.
He subsequently accompanied Queen Elizabeth to India in 1961, 1983 and 1997. They toured Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata in 1961, and returned in 1983 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Philip’s portrayal in the popular series on Netflix, The Crown, is engrossing. The role was played by the 'Doctor Who' star Matt Smith in the first two series, opposite Claire Foy as the Queen. He was replaced by 'Outlander' actor Tobias Menzies for series three and four, opposite Olivia Colman as the Queen.
