Prince William's gushing words over grandfather Prince Philip's military sacrifice for Queen Elizabeth II
Philip had a very successful careerPrince William once said he “admired” his grandfather Prince Philip for giving up his military career for Queen Elizabeth II.
The late Duke of Edinburgh, who would have been 104 on June 10, gave up his Navy career in 1952 to fully support his wife as her consort when she became queen.
Philip died in April 2021 at the age of 99. Just over a year later, Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 aged 96. The couple were married for more than 70 years.
What did Prince Philip do in the military?
Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy in 1939 as a cadet. He completed his initial training at Royal Naval College Dartmouth, where he was awarded a prize as the best cadet of his entry.
In 1940, seven years before he married the queen, Philip joined the battleship HMS Ramillies in Sri Lanka. He was a Midshipman and spent six months in the Indian Ocean.
Then, in 1941, he joined the battleship HMS Valiant in Egypt. He was in charge of the ship’s searchlight control.
Philip was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant but returned to the UK to take a series of technical courses. He was then appointed to the destroyer HMS Wallace based at Rosyth for convoy escort duties on the East coast.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth in the military
Philip was promoted to Lieutenant in 1942 and later First Lieutenant of Wallace at the age of 21.
After more courses, he became First Lieutenant of the new Fleet Destroyer HMS Whelp.
In 1949, Prince Philip became First Lieutenant of HMS Chequers. He was stationed in Malta, when he was joined by the then Princess Elizabeth. The pair were married at this stage, having tied the knot in 1947.
One of the things I do admire him for is that he gave up a very successful military career to be the Queen’s consort.
In 1950, Philip was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and then appointed in command of the Frigate HMS Magpie.
This came to an end in July 1951. He became Commander in 1952 but then his naval career came to an end following the death of his father-in-law King George VI – the queen’s father. Elizabeth became monarch in February 1952.
Prince William ‘admired’ Philip over ending his Army career
In 2021, months after Philip’s death, Prince William spoke about his admiration for his grandfather.
Speaking in an interview recorded for Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, Prince William said: “One of the things I do admire him for is that he gave up a very successful military career to be the Queen’s consort and support her and to go into service and duty in a different way.
Read more: Prince Philip ‘couldn’t bring himself to see’ Prince Harry at Sandringham Summit
“It was very much a ‘man’s world’ back then so for a man to give up his career to support a woman –albeit a queen – was still quite a big step.”
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