Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died Friday at the age of 99. The prince married Queen Elizabeth II five years before she became queen – but when she was crowned, she was not given the title of king. That’s because Prince Philip, who is actually a former prince of Denmark and Greece, has never been in line with the British throne.
Prince Philip married Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 and became queen in 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI. She later gave her husband the title of prince.
This title was not at all easy for Prince Philip – he was not to be called king or prince. His title was Duke of Edinburgh until 22 February 1957 when the palace issued a statement: “The Queen was pleased with the patent letters under the great seal of the land bearing the date of 22 February 1957, to give and grant to Her Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, GBE, the style and titular dignity of a prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Whitehall. “
So the queen gave her husband the title of prince when he took the crown – but why not the king?
A woman who marries the king can be called a queen, but for men who marry the monarch, there are different rules. I can’t use the title of king, because it’s only given to men who inherit the throne, according to BBC News.
Therefore, the couple’s eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, will receive the title of king when he takes office. Their other children: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward will keep these titles.
Prince William, the son of Prince Charles and the queen’s nephew, is next in line for the title of king, followed by his eldest son, Prince George.
Awarding the title of Prince Philip is not the only decision to appoint the queen. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip decided to distinguish themselves from kings of the past, who did not use family names. They started using a hyphenated last name: Mountbatten-Windsor, Mountbatten from Prince Phillip’s maternal grandparents.
According to BBC News, Prince Phillip demanded this change of surname. “I am the only man in the country who is not allowed to give the names of his children,” he said when Queen Elizabeth II was persuaded to keep Windsor, BBC News reports. “I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba!”
So the queen’s children and grandchildren can use Mountbatten-Windsor as a family name – when they need it. However, family members do not have much use for the surname; they already have long enough titles, such as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
Prince Philip may not have been a king, but he was always with his wife and was the queen’s consort, with the main role of supporting her. He is the longest-lived consort of any British monarch and has completed more than 22,000 solo engagements until he retired from his royal duties in 2017, according to BBC News.