One of the most prominent figures of the last hundred years was the Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II. She ascended the British throne at the age of just 26 and remained in this position until her death in 2022, a few months after turning 96. She was the longest-serving monarch in the history of the United Kingdom.
At Elizabeth’s side for over seventy years stood the Philip Mountbattenson of Prince Andrew of Greece and Alice of Battenberg. Philip was born in Greece in 1921. Before he could complete a year and a half of his life, however, his family was forced to leave the country after the Asia Minor Disaster, as his father Andreas was considered one of the culprits of the defeat. The legend says, in fact, that little Philip fled from Corfu inside a fruit cage. He spent most of his childhood in France, Germany and Scotland. When he graduated from school, he enlisted in the British Royal Navy, in which he served during World War II, taking part in many naval operations.
They met for the first time in July 1939.
Elizabeth and Philip met for the first time in July 1939. The two had attended the wedding of Marina of Greece and Elizabeth’s uncle Prince George a few years earlier, but had not exchanged a word. After their first meeting, the two young people began to correspond, although Philip was away in Britain, being on the war fronts. Even Elizabeth herself offered her services as heir to the British throne during the war, specializing as an engineer and driver. Driving, after all, was a hobby he always enjoyed during his years on the throne.
Philip returned to the United Kingdom after the end of the war in 1945. In March 1947 he renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten, like other members of his family who lived in the United Kingdom, in order to escape from the stigma of German descent on his mother’s side, and acquired British citizenship. A few months later, in July 1947, Elizabeth’s engagement to Philip was announced.
Crowds of people attended the celebrations for the wedding of the heir to the throne.
The weddings of the heir to the British throne Elizabeth and Philip took place on November 20, 1947, in Westminster Abbey. A large number of people attended the celebrations for the wedding of the heir to the throne, diverting their attention for a few hours from the essential issues of the harsh daily life, which British citizens lived after the end of the Second World War. The official guests at Elizabeth and Philip’s weddings included royalty and blue bloods from Europe and many heads of state. On the same day, Elizabeth’s father George VI anointed Philip as Duke of Edinburgh, a title he held until the end of his life.
Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigone-Despoina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
