Looking back at Prince Philip's incredible charity work
The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in over 750 organisations
Last updated 9th Apr 2021
Prince Philip did a huge amount of charity work during his long service as Duke of Edinburgh. In fact the Duke was involved in over 750 organisations, serving as a patron, president or member and carried out 22,129 solo engagements.
We're taking a look back at the work he did after Buckingham Palace announced the sad news that The Duke of Edinburgh has died aged 99.
His most famous charity work is undoubtedly the Duke of Edinburgh Award which he himself founded over 60 years ago.
However, his work with other charities and organisations reflects his interests, here’s some of the work carried out by Prince Philip that you may not have known about.
He was interested in environmental conservation
Despite being born in 1921, long before global warming and the environment were main features of the news, the Duke of Edinburgh always took an active interest in environmental issues, acting as patron of the UK branch of world leading conservation group WWF since 1961, when it was established.
Speaking in 1986, he said “You cannot exploit all the natural resources for human use and expect to have a great deal of future.”
His naval career inspired an engineering and design prize
Having served in the Navy during WWII, Prince Philip’s interest in engineering and technology can be attributed to the time he spent on naval ships.
In 2004 he spoke about the importance of engineering in helping Britain out of the post-war dip: “the only way we were going to recover a sort of viability was through engineering"
In recognition of this passion, he launched the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 1959, awarded to engineers and designers whose creations transformed everyday life.
Recipients of the award have included Sir James Dyson, best known for creating the bagless vacuum cleaner, and the architect who designed the Gherkin in London, Lord Foster.
Support for sport
His passion for sports and outdoors activities is also reflected in his charity work. Not only did he found the Duke of Edinburgh award to promote the development of skills and physical activity, he was also president of the International Equestrian Federation.
In this role he oversaw equestrian plans for five Olympic games. His daughter, Princess Anne, and grand-daughter Zara Phillips, share his love of horses, having both competed for the British equestrian team in the Olympic games.
He was also heavily involved in the Sport and Recreation Alliance, an organisation which represents the sport and recreation sector in Government and the media.
The life of Prince Philip
Prince Philip was born in 1921
Prince Philip of Greece was born 10 June 1921 in Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Prince Philip attended school in Scotland
The Prince was one of the first pupils at Gordonstoun boarding school in Moray, Scotland, attending from 1933-1939. He was the first of three generations of royals to attend the school, with Prince Charles boarding in the 1960s, and Princess Anne's children enrolling in the 1990s.
The engagement of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth
Prince Philip's engagement to Princess Elizabeth was announced on 9 July 1946, after he asked permission from her father, King George VI. In order to marry into the British Royal family, Prince Philip became a British citizen, and renounced his Greek title in favour of Mountbatten, the anglicised version of his mother's name. He also agreed not to invite his sisters to the wedding, as they were all married to Germans and tensions were still high following the war.
The Royal Wedding
Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. He received new titles, including the Duke of Edinburgh, for which he is best known, and his Royal Highness. It is estimated around 200 million people tuned into the BBC radio broadcast of the wedding.
First time father
In 1948, Prince Philip became a father for the first time when Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles. Princess Anne was born two years later.
Consort to the monarch
King George VI died 6 February 1952, making his oldest daughter Princess Elizabeth, Queen. This made the Duke of Edinburgh consort to Queen Elizabeth II. The coronation took place on 2 June 1953 and was an important feature in making television a mainstream medium, with over 20 million people tuning in to watch.
The Duke of Edinburgh award
In 1956, Prince Philip launched the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, which aims to prepare young people for adult life by developing essential skills, confidence and resilience. Today, hundreds of thousands of young people complete the award every year across 144 nations.
Meeting JFK
In 1961, a banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in honour of American President John F Kennedy. This was the President's last visit to Buckingham Palace before he was assassinated two years later. Prince Philip attended his funeral.
A family of six
In 1960 Prince Andrew was born, followed by Prince Edward in 1964. This completed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's immediate family.
Royal Family documentary
In 1969, a television documentary entitled 'Royal Family' aired to an audience of over 30 million in the UK, before being sold worldwide, achieving over 350 million views. However, the Queen had the documentary banned and it has not been shown on TV in the UK since 1977. The documentary offered insight into the lives of the Queen and her family in an attempt to revive public interest in the Royals.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Prince Philip's oldest son, Prince Charles, married 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981. Almost 1 billion viewers tuned in across 74 countries to watch the ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral. The wedding was considered hugely important because whoever Prince Charles married would one day become Queen.
Diana, Princess of Wales' funeral
The world was shook when Diana, Princess of Wales died suddenly in a car accident in August 1997. Hundreds of thousands of well wishers lined the streets on the day of her funeral, which saw Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Diana's brother accompany Princes William and Harry in walking behind the funeral car.
Diamond wedding anniversary
In 2007, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary- 60 years of marriage! They have since made it to their platinum anniversary, celebrating in 2017.
A family man
Prince Philip has eight grandchildren, including heir to the throne Prince William. He also has nine great-grandchildren and counting, with two more on the way in 2021.
Tipping his hat to a lifetime of service
At the age of 96, Prince Philip carried out his final solo public engagement in August 2017, before tipping his hat in acknowledgement of a lifetime of service.
Prince Philip dies aged 99
Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99 on the 9th April 2021. The Duke's funeral took place on 17 April 2021 in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Read more:
The legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Prince Philip: The longest serving consort
Buckingham Palace announce death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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