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The rugged prince who became Queen Elizabeth's anchor

For more than 70 years Philip went one step behind Elizabeth, hand in hand with the change in the perception of the British royal house.

Despite praise for his wisdom and role in leading the family attributed to the age of television, he never won the love of the people, who saw him as a tough pain and a rude prince

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• UK

• Prince Philip

• The British Royal Family

• Queen Elizabeth II

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Friday, 09 April 2021, 22:20

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In the video: Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband, dies at age 99 (Photo: Reuters)

Prince Philip was a naval officer who was not afraid to say what was on his mind and helped march the British monarchy to the forefront as Queen Elizabeth's dedicated companion, but he may be best remembered for his rugged public figure.

Direct and grumpy, Philip lived in the shadow of the woman he married at Westminster Abbey in 1947, making sure to follow her one step further in the thousands of ceremonies she attended during her reign, the longest in British history.

Although he had no official role, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was one of the most influential figures in the royal family for more than 70 years.

He passed away today (Friday) at the age of 99.

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(Photo: Reuters)

Faced with the frequent criticism of the rudeness and rude remarks made by Philip, his friends said that as Elizabeth's soda man he provided cleverness, impatient intelligence and infectious energy to the royal house.

"Simply put, he has been my strength and home throughout the years," the Queen said in a speech on the couple's 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, in a rare personal tribute to Philip.

"I, and the whole family, and this country and many other countries, owe him a greater debt than he will ever demand, or we will ever know."

If Philip felt frustrated with his life as a companion, he never showed it.

However in an interview with the BBC on his 90th birthday, he confessed that at first he had a hard time finding his place.

"There was no precedent for that. When I would ask someone 'how do you expect me to act?', Everyone looked pale - they had no idea. No one really had a clue," he said.

The prince was born in an age of reverence for the royal family, and helped Elizabeth navigate through the political and social revolution of the 20th century to create a monarchy that would suit other times.

He stood firm against conservatism, changed the palace and tried to harness the rising power of television to display a royal influence.

Philip pushed for the transfer of the Queen's coronation in 1953 live on television, and behind the scenes he stopped the outdated conduct at the palace, which he saw as stifling.

He was the first in the royal family to be interviewed on television.

However, later in life he was criticized for delaying the adjustments the royal house was required to make in line with changes in general mood, and the catalogers partly blamed him for his children's inability to start a happy family, claiming his dominance was one of the reasons for the failure.

The couple had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales who was born in 1948, Princess Anne who was born in 1950, Prince Andrew who was born in 1960, and Prince Edward who was born in 1964.

The marriage of three of them ended in divorce.

Power and home

For Elizabeth, Philip had a supportive husband whom the people of the royal court claimed was the only one who treated the queen as a human being.

The couple stayed together despite rumors of infidelity on his part, and in old age they seemed to feel affection and respect for each other.

They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in November 2017.

But Philip, son of the exiled Greek Prince Andreas, a descendant of Queen Victoria's great-grandmother and a third-degree cousin of his wife, never won the love of the British.

Elizabeth was in control, but within the family Philip was the one considered to be at the head.

When Princess Anne, followed by Prince Andrew and finally Charles suffered a failed marriage, the royal family involved pointed the finger of blame at Philip, the tough father, calling him domineering and cold, especially towards his sons.

After Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997 and the popularity of the Windsor House plummeted, he was accused of preventing the family from adapting to the new Britain.

A decade later, Philip heard Muhammad al-Fayed, the former owner of the London-based Herods luxury store whose son was the princess' lover, claim the prince had ordered her death.

The jury refused to accept the allegations after no evidence was presented to support them, but the accusations symbolized the people's mixed feelings towards it.

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