(Newer)
Buckingham Palace officials say Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, has died. He was 99. “With deep sadness, Her Majesty the Queen announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle this morning.” Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle. Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, married Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became queen. He was the longest serving (who was official companion of the monarch) in British history, reports AP.
Historian Sarah Gristwood tells NBC News that at the time his wife became queen, the British monarchy ‘was not equipped to handle a new media era, and that Prince Philip played a major role in moving it forward. ‘ For example, he was the first of the British royals to conduct a TV interview and helped bring the royals to the public using TV rather than radio. He retired from public involvement in 2017 after performing more than 20,000 of them. Philip was a member of the Greek royal family and was born in 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu. He was an avid sportsman who was very fond of rural activities. According to the BBC, he had four children, eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. (Read more Prince Philip stories.)