Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II announces the death of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

Her Majesty The Queen has announced that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died aged 99. A royal family statement released on Twitter confirmed the sad news, stating, "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."

Born a Prince of Greece and Denmark on the Greek island of Corfu in 1921, his family were evacuated from Greece after the Greco-Turkish war, and fled to France the following year, with Philip reportedly carried to the safety of a British naval ship in a cot made from an orange crate. He was educated in Paris and at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, before joining the Royal Navy. During World War 2, he served in the British forces, eventually promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.

The then-Princess Elizabeth met Philip at the wedding of his cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, and Prince George, Duke of Kent (Elizabeth’s uncle) in 1934, then again when Elizabeth undertook a royal tour of the Naval College at Dartmouth, when Philip was her guide. They struck up a correspondence through letters, and eventually became engaged in 1946 – without seeking permission from her parents beforehand. When Philip finally ceded to tradition and asked the King for his daughter’s hand in marriage, George VI agreed, on the condition that a formal announcement would be delayed until after Elizabeth’s 21st birthday, the following April. In the ensuing time, Philip abandoned his own royal titles, and was naturalized as a British subject.

After announcing the happy news on 9th July 1947, the pair were wed at Westminster Abbey on 20th November, in a ceremony that was broadcast to around 200 million people around the world. The couple welcomed four children: Prince Charles in 1948, Princess Anne in 1950, Prince Andrew in 1960, and Prince Edward in 1964.

In 2017, the Palace confirmed that the Duke would be stepping back from public engagements, a decision which came with ‘the full support’ of the Queen. In his 70 years by the Queen’s side, he had undertaken over 22,000 solo engagements and made 637 royal visits to 143 countries. He has also made history as the longest serving consort to a British monarch.

Following her husband’s death, the Queen will enter an eight-day period of mourning, during which she will forgo her royal duties. All laws needing Royal Assent (the approval of the monarch) will be put on hold in this time, and it’s expected that the Queen would return to public appearances and duties after 30 days.

Look back at vintage photos from the early stages of the Queen and Prince Philip's 70 year marriage in the gallery below...

As the Queen’s consort, the Prince would be entitled to a state funeral, but had previously insisted against the ‘fuss’ of lying in state at Westminster Hall. Indeed, a Parliamentary document dated from 2013 states that ‘there is no official process’ for ‘deciding when a state funeral should be held for a person other than the Sovereign.’ Instead, the funeral is likely to be a small affair, attended by family, friends and some international heads of state.

Unlike many monarchs and their consorts, the Prince had reportedly requested to be buried at Frogmore Gardens, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, as the location has special significance for him and his wife.