Narrator: At the age of 99, Prince Philip,
the husband of Queen Elizabeth II
and the longest-serving prince consort
in British history, has died.
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully
on April the 9th at Windsor Castle.
It is to Her Majesty and her family
that our nation's thoughts must turn today.
Narrator: The duke had been hospitalized
several times in recent years,
but his death nevertheless comes as a shock to the UK
and to royal watchers around the globe.
The royal couple had marked
their 73rd wedding anniversary in November.
Born to royalty in Greece in 1921
as the Prince of Greece and Denmark,
Philip was only 18 months old when he left the country.
He lived in France and England,
then attended school in Scotland
before joining the Royal Navy in 1939,
just before the outbreak of World War II.
He saw active service throughout the war,
and in 1945 was present in Tokyo Bay
for the Japanese surrender.
He was later awarded the Greek War Cross of Valour.
After marrying then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947,
he gained titles including the Duke of Edinburgh.
In the 1950s, Philip qualified as a pilot
and continued flying until the late 1990s.
With Princess Elizabeth's coronation in 1953,
Philip began a lifetime of loyal service
at his queen's side.
Through their children and grandchildren,
they have ensured a clear line of succession,
first through their son, Prince Charles,
and then their grandson, Prince William.
The duke was patron,
president, or member of over 780 organizations.
He founded the prestigious
Duke of Edinburgh Award youth program,
which gives young people opportunities for self-improvement.
The royal also had a passion for polo,
carriage-driving, and sailing.
Renowned for speaking his mind, the prince's sense of humor
was not always to everyone's taste.
On occasion, politically incorrect comments
made on official visits landed him in hot water.
He retired from public life in May 2017 at the age of 95.
Since the 1950s,
he'd completed over 22,000 solo engagements.
He did attend Prince Harry
and Meghan Markle's wedding in May 2018,
and became the unwanted center of attention in January 2019
when he was involved in a car accident
in which his Land Rover overturned.
He luckily escaped uninjured.
The queen once described Philip as her strength and stay.
Many will mourn his passing --
perhaps few more so than the inhabitants of a tiny village
on the island of Tanna in the South Pacific,
where the Duke of Edinburgh is worshiped as a god.
A very private man who never wanted any fuss,
he once said he couldn't imagine anything worse
than reaching the age of 100.