Prince Philip, who for seven decades was the companion of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom
and the Commonwealth, will be laid to rest on Saturday, April 17th.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, and in keeping with the Duke of Edinburgh's wishes, his ceremonial
funeral will be a little different from those of his forebears. Gone will be the tradition
of lying in state, with thousands of mourners lining the streets of London. Instead, the
Duke of Edinburgh's funeral is expected to be comparatively low-key.
"The public will not be able to attend, and the palace is urging members of the public
'don't gather outside, you won't be able to see anything.'"
That said, the duke is expected to follow protocol in a number of other ways. For instance,
his personal Royal Standard will be draped over his coffin as he lies in rest at Windsor
Castle. But here's a question: what do the symbols on Prince Philip's standard actually
mean, and what significance do they have to him?
Let's start in the upper left corner. Here, you can see three lions and nine hearts. This
represents the Coat of Arms of Denmark. Though he'll largely be remembered for his role in
the royal family of the United Kingdom, Philip is descended from other European royal families,
too. Notably, he was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark — which means that,
on his birth, he was conferred the title of Prince of Denmark. Indeed, Denmark's current
monarch, Queen Margrethe II, was a third cousin with Philip, both having descended from England's
Queen Victoria.
The lions have adorned royal Danish insignia for nearly a thousand years, with the hearts
being added later. Over the centuries, the number of hearts varied, but in 1819 King
Frederick VI set the official number at nine. Importantly, though, they're not actually
hearts to the Danes — instead, they're known as "lake leaves."
In the upper right corner of Prince Philip's standard is a white cross upon a blue background,
representing the flag of Greece and, by extension, Philip's Greek heritage. Philip was born in
Greece in 1921, and his father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was a member of the
royal families of both countries. However, while Denmark retains its constitutional monarchy,
Greece's was abolished in 1922, following the abdication of Philip's uncle, King Constantine
I. At the time, Philip's life was believed to be in danger, and so he, his father, his
mother, and his four sisters were evacuated out of the country.
Although he was born there, Philip didn't consider himself Greek, didn't speak the language,
and preferred to be thought of as Danish. Nevertheless, the country is represented on
his personal standard. The white cross on the Greek flag represents the Greek Orthodox
Church, the religion in which Philip was raised — although he later converted to the Church
of England.
In the bottom right corner of Prince Philip's standard is a depiction of a castle, intended
to represent Philip's title, Duke of Edinburgh. The skyline of the 1,400-year-old city of
Edinburgh, Scotland, is famously dominated by Edinburgh Castle, a fortress whose first
stones were laid in the 1100s. Unlike many castles throughout the United Kingdom, however,
Edinburgh's castle doesn't actually belong to the Windsor family. Rather, it belongs
to Historic Environment Scotland, a governmental body tasked with preserving and promoting
Scotland's historic heritage.
Philip was bestowed the title Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, shortly before he married then-Princess
Elizabeth, becoming the sixth person to have taken the title. Philip's eldest son, future
king Prince Charles, has now inherited it, though he is expected to pass it on to his
younger brother, Prince Edward, once Charles becomes king.
Finally, in the bottom left corner of Prince Philip's standard are alternating vertical
black and white stripes. These are intended to represent the Mountbatten family. As is
almost always the case with European royals, Prince Philip wasn't born with a first and
last name in the same sense that most people are. Instead, he was just born as "Philip,"
and everything else that has followed his name was added later.
Nevertheless, in 1947, Philip took on the surname Mountbatten when he became a naturalized
British citizen prior to marrying then-Princess Elizabeth. This name had previously been held
by his mother's side of the family. The black and white stripes are the coat of arms of
the Battenberg family, ancestors of the Mountbattens. Indeed, the coat of arms of the town of Battenberg
is, to this day, a single black vertical stripe and a single white one. This constitutes the
last segment of Prince Philip's standard — and the final aspect of his own family history.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Grunge videos about your favorite
stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.