Richard Berthelsen: A Canadian remembrance of Prince Philip

Born a member of the Greek and Danish royal families in a time when intermarriage between royal families was in decline, he could well have expected to lead a life of gilded idleness after his family went into exile shortly after his birth.

This frankness was perhaps most at home in the Royal Navy, in which Philip came to prominence on his own merit. He saw action in both European and Pacific war theatres and witnessed the Japanese surrender as a young naval officer. It was with many misgivings that he put aside his naval ambition when the Queen succeeded to the throne earlier than planned in 1952.

After his marriage, on his first visit to Canada in 1951, he somewhat overshadowed his young wife, the then-Princess Elizabeth, as a dashing war hero prince. He returned to Canada more than 60 times, with the Queen and often on his own, frequently piloting the aircraft to support charities and to visit every part of the country.

When Churchill advised the Queen to confirm that the Royal House continued to be Windsor on her succession to the Crown in 1952, without reference to Philip’s surname of Mountbatten, it caused him some discomfort and he was said to remark, "I am nothing but a bloody amoeba.” In the short term, the Prince of Wales will succeed his father as Duke of Edinburgh, but it was announced that Prince Edward will be given the title in due course to ensure it remains in prominent use in his family. Edward, his youngest son, has increasingly taken the mantle of leadership in his eponymous award.

While his gaffes often made the news, he rarely received the praise he deserved for his tireless devotion to and love for his wife and the Commonwealth which he served.

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