Prince Philip's unstinting support for hundreds of charities is praised

Conservation charity WWF praised the Duke of Edinburgh as a "true champion of the environment" and said it would be "forever grateful" for his support - a sentiment doubtless echoed by the hundreds of organisations Philip is associated with.

The Duke is patron, president or member of more than 780 organisations and charities, spanning interests as diverse as sport, engineering, conservation, literature and - perhaps aptly - eccentricity.

His most long-standing presidency is of the London Federation of Boys' Clubs, now known as London Youth, a position he has held since 1947.

Early in his public life the Duke became president of the National Playing Fields' Association, now Fields In Trust, which protects open spaces across the UK and has his grandson, the Duke of Cambridge, as patron.

Philip also played fundraising cricket and polo matches for the Central Council Of Physical Recreation, now the Sport and Recreation Alliance, an umbrella body for sport and recreation he was heavily involved in.

As well as founding his own Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme in 1956, Philip is president emeritus of WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and is a former president of WWF-UK.

His widespread equestrian interests were reflected in his presidency of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), through which he oversaw equestrian plans for five Olympic Games, and Philip was involved with over 20 cricket organisations around the world, more than 25 engineering institutions and is colonel-in-chief of eight regiments.

He is even a patron of The Eccentric Club, whose original members, when it was founded in the 18th century, promised to celebrate "virtues which are getting rare and eccentric".

While the Duke will continue his work with the organisations, his associations will become less public.

Paying tribute to his support, WWF-UK chief executive Tanya Steele said Philip had been a "pivotal patron" since the charity's earliest days.

She said: "For more than 50 years, His Royal Highness' dedication and efforts on behalf of WWF have been invaluable - visiting projects in over 50 countries on five continents.

"With his unswerving support WWF has played a key role in securing huge conservation successes while raising awareness of the most pressing issues affecting the future of our planet.

"We will be forever grateful to Prince Philip and the Royal Family for the important role they continue to play in helping to address these issues globally."

Philip has been patron of Muscular Dystrophy UK for more than 50 years, and its chief executive Richard Meadowcroft said his support for the charity had been a "precious asset".

Wishing him a "well-deserved and happy retirement", he said: "He had the kindness and foresight to lend his backing to a charity focused on what was then a little-known, poorly understood condition. The Duke's backing was an immense encouragement then, as it has remained to this day."

Book Aid International, which works in sub-Saharan Africa and has had the Duke's patronage since 1966, said its support from Philip - most recently at an event at St James's Palace in March - has been a "privilege and an honour".

Chief executive Alison Tweed said: "Today I join our staff, volunteers, partners across Africa and the millions of people who read the books we send in extending our deepest gratitude and warmest wishes to his Royal Highness for his support over more than 50 years."

The Charities Aid Foundation, of which Philip is patron, thanked him for his "long record supporting charities in the UK and around the world", with chief executive John Low saying: "Many of us might not have heard of some of these remarkable charities if it were not for the Royal Family's enduring commitment to them."

And the Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, the Very Rev Professor Iain Torrance, thanked "our witty and eagle-eyed Duke of Edinburgh" for his "unstinting" promotion of organisations across the country.

Philip may perhaps be most tickled by the well-wishes of The Eccentric Club in London, which said: "We look forward to the continuation of that friendship as well as wishing HRH The Prince Philip a most eccentric and delightful 'retirement'."