What Was Prince Philip's Net Worth?
Prince Philip was a member of the British royal family most famous for being the longtime husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Philip had a net worth of $30 million at the time of his death in 2021. Philip came from Danish and Greek royal lineages. After serving in the British Navy, he became a naturalized citizen of the United Kingdom and married Elizabeth shortly after the war. Outside of his royal obligations, Philip was interested in sports – especially carriage driving. Like many members of the royal family, he was also very involved in philanthropic pursuits. With Elizabeth, Philip had four children: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward. His grandsons through Charles are Prince Harry and Prince William. Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.
Early Life
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born on June 10, 1921, in Mon Repos, on the Greek Island of Corfu. His parents were Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. He was raised as a member of the House of Glücksburg and was initially in the line of succession to the throne of Denmark and Greece. Philip had four elder sisters, and he was born into an unstable situation during the Greco-Turkish War, in which Greece lost significant amounts of land.
His father, Prince Andrew, was commanding an army division when a new military government rose up and forced King Constantine I of Greece (Philip's uncle) to abdicate the throne. Eventually, Prince Andrew and his family were banished from Greece by the new government. The British sent a naval vessel to evacuate his family to safety, and Prince Philip was brought on board as a one-year-old sleeping in a fruit box. The family eventually settled in Paris.
While in Paris, Philip attended an American school. At the age of 7, he was sent to the United Kingdom to attend a preparatory school. Soon, Philip was alone in Britain. His mother was placed in a mental asylum, his father moved to Monte Carlo, and all of his sisters were married off to German aristocrats. After attending school in Germany for a few years, he transferred to another school in Scotland.
Military Career
After graduating in 1939, Philip became a cadet at the Royal Naval College, eventually graduating as the best student in his class. By 1940, he was serving as a midshipman on the battleship HMS Ramillies and later the HMS Valiant. In 1941, he was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant after a new round of education. He fought at the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Cape Matapan, and the Allied invasion of Sicily (during which he saved his ship from a night bomber attack). After being awarded the Greek War Cross, he was promoted to lieutenant and then first lieutenant at age 21 (making him one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Navy). He then served with the Pacific Fleet during the conflict with Japan.
Marriage to Elizabeth
Elizabeth first started exchanging letters with Philip when she was 13. In 1946, Philip asked the King for his daughter's hand in marriage and was granted permission. In 1947, the two were wed. Before the wedding, he was made Duke of Edinburgh. He continued to serve in the Navy after the wedding and officially ended his military career in 1951. When Elizabeth became Queen, Philip became Consort of the Queen. Throughout their marriage, the two had an extremely strong relationship.
(Photo by Danny Lawson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Later Life
As Consort of the Queen, Prince Philip engaged in a number of royal duties throughout his lifetime. These include being present at the State Opening of Parliament, tours to various countries, and state dinners. In 2017, at the age of 96, Prince Philip officially retired from his royal duties.
Sports
Although Philip was initially a keen polo player, he started gravitating more towards carriage driving during the 1970s. Over the years, he developed the sport into an established equestrian event, as before, it was somewhat obscure. He oversaw the creation of carriage racing's official rule book. In addition, Prince Philip was also an experienced yachtsman and learned how to fly airplanes at a young age. At age 70, he had accumulated more than 5,000 pilot hours.
Personality
Philip was known for his unique personality. While his down-to-earth nature may be endearing at times, he also has a tendency to speak his mind, even if his viewpoints are "politically incorrect." On the positive side, Philip once famously chatted with two butlers at the White House, speaking to them plainly and pouring them drinks. On the negative side, Philip has made a number of questionable comments. Here are some of his most notable quotes:
"British woman can't cook." (1966).
"Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed." (During the 1981 recession)
"If it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it."
"If you stay here much longer, you'll go slit-eyed." (speaking to British students studying in China)
"You're too fat to be an astronaut." (speaking to a 13-year-old boy who wanted to go to space)
"Do you still throw sticks at each other?" (Speaking to an Australian Aborigine)
"It's a pleasant change to be in a country that isn't ruled by its people." (Speaking to Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner)
Conspiracy
After the death of Princess Diana in 1997, rumors of a conspiracy began to spread. While there were theories, one of the most prominent suggested that the royal family had assassinated Diana and that the car accident was staged. One of the biggest proponents of this theory was Mohamed Fayed, whose son Dodi Fayed was killed in the widely-publicized car crash. Fayed specifically claimed that Philip ordered the alleged assassination of Diana. With all that said, no evidence of a conspiracy has ever come to light.
Annuity
Prince Philip receives an annuity of about 360,000 pounds per year from the British parliament. This annuity is intended to fund his expenses when carrying out public duties. These payments started in 1990 and continued even after Philip retired from official duties in 2017. The legislature states that if he does not use this money to fund his duties, he is liable for taxation.
