Queen Elizabeth might be a world icon and one of the pillars of Europe but draws some of her strength from her rock, her husband, Prince Philip. The Duke of Edinburgh is celebrating a glorious 99th birthday on June 10 with only her beloved queen by his side.
According to Hello, Prince Philip is the original royal poster boy, who excelled in many things he got into such as polo, horse racing, and even flying. Before Prince William and Prince Harry earned their wings as pilots, Prince Philip had 5,986 hours of flying and flew 59 different aircrafts. He was the first member of the royal family to fly out of Buckingham Palace propelling his own helicopter.
Of Greek and Russian descent, Prince Philip made women swoon for his good looks, height and magnetic blue eyes. He's the only one who can get away with calling Queen Elizabeth "Cabbage" or "Sausage" as a term of endearment.
Prince Philip apparently didn't like that he and his wife have separate bedrooms at Buckingham Palace. In their younger days, the Duke of Edinburgh would often walk over to Queen Elizabeth's room and they had one public security breach sometime in 1982 when a staff caught apparently caught them in bed together.
He is legendary for his sense of humor, practical jokes, as well as his temper. He said Prince Charles looked like plum pudding when he was born. Documentaries depicted him as an authoritative father, especially to his first-born son.
However, he always had fun games with his children, especially during trips. When the royal children grew up, their relationship with their father improved. Prince Charles even recently said that he misses his father, whom he hasn't seen since before the coronavirus lockdown.
Prince Philip, at 99, has had a few health issues. His last hospitalization in December 2019 was a cause for concern among royal followers and the royal family. The Duke of Edinburgh once admitted in an interview in the 1990s that he cannot imagine reaching almost 100 years old because that would make him very, very old.
But Buckingham Palace has just released a photo of the Queen with her beloved husband for his 99th birthday. Both show how much they are in the pink of health despite their age.
Prince Philip and the Queen are currently isolating from the coronavirus in Windsor Castle. They are expected to remain in this estate until the summer and will celebrate with the royal family via Zoom calls instead of an actual get-together.
