The United Kingdom's Prince Philip has died. He was 99.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is survived by wife Queen Elizabeth II, their eldest son and her heir Prince Charles, sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, daughter Princess Anne, eight grandchildren—including Charles' sons Prince William and Prince Harry, and nine great-grandchildren.
The royal family announced his passing on Friday, April 9. "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," the statement read. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."
Philip was hospitalized in London weeks before his death. He was admitted to a London hospital on Feb. 16 after feeling unwell and was treated for an infection. On Wednesday, March 4, he underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition.
The duke, the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg and Greece, was born Philip Philip of Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921 on a dining room table on the Greek island of Corfu, according to Reuters. His parents went into exile when he was 18 months old. He was educated in the United Kingdom, where he became a naturalized British citizen.
Philip is his wife's third cousin—he is a descendant of the queen's great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria—and was the longest-serving consort of any British monarch.
Philip and Elizabeth wed in 1947, five years before she became queen. Their marriage and royal family life are depicted on the Emmy-winning Netflix drama series The Crown, which starred Matt Smith and later, Tobias Menzies as the duke.
Philip has been hospitalized several times over the past decade. In 2012, he suffered a bladder infection. In 2017, a month after announcing his retirement from royal duties, the duke was admitted to the hospital to treat an infection "arising from a pre-existing condition." In 2018, he underwent hip replacement surgery.
In January 2019, Philip was involved in a car accident. He crashed his Land Rover into another vehicle carrying two women and a baby. No one was injured except the adult passenger, who broke her arm, and the driver, who suffered cuts to her knee, CNN reported.
The outlet confirmed that Philip later wrote the injured passenger an apology letter, citing how 'the sun was shining low over the main road," which made it difficult for him to see incoming traffic. He wrote, "I was somewhat shaken after the accident, but I was greatly relieved that none of you were seriously injured. I have since learned that you suffered a broken arm. I am deeply sorry about this injury."
In late 2019, Philip was hospitalized for "observation and treatment in relation to a pre-exiting condition."
The duke sparingly appeared in public following his 2017 retirement. In March 2020, he and the queen moved from their main home of Buckingham Palace in London to Windsor Castle, one of their other royal residences, on the outskirts of the densely populated U.K. capital as the country implemented social distancing protocols amid the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
In July 2020, Philip made a rare and final public appearance at a military ceremony at Windsor Castle. Also that month, he and the queen attended their granddaughter Princess Beatrice's private wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Last November, Buckingham Palace released the last official photo of the duke. It showed him and the queen looking at a homemade 73rd wedding anniversary card given to them by William and wife Kate Middleton's children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, while sitting in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle.