Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Christened: Philip Mountbatten
(Previously Schleiswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg)
Titles: Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich
Honors: Knight of the Thistle; Order of Merit; Created Prince of the Realm in 1957
Corfu-born Philip was christened as Philippos, Prince of Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921. He was the last child and only son of Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece, who had four daughters.
The paternal side of the Duke's family is of Danish descent - Philip's father, Prince Andrew, was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. Thus, Philip is related to Britain's Queen Alexandra and Russia's Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. Philip's mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
Prince Philip started school in France but came to England to attend Cheam Preparatory School in 1928. He left at 12 to spend a year at Salem School in Germany, run by Kurt Hahn. When Hahn went to Scotland to found the boarding school Gordonstoun, Philip followed him there. He loved his time at Gordonstoun, and in turn sent all three of his sons.
Philip bounced around from relative to relative, unable to find a stationary home in the wake of his parents' separation. He had virtually no one: Prince Andrew ran off with his mistress; all four of Philip's sisters were married with their own families; and his mother Princess Alice had a nervous breakdown, sent for treatment in Switzerland.
Philip found his niche in the Navy. He also finally found a little security with an uncle, Lord Mountbatten. Lord Louis was his maternal uncle, who constantly plotted his nephew's way into the royal family of England. But before Mountbatten could do much in the way of matchmaking, World War Two broke out and Philip was posted on active duty.
Philip did manage to correspond with England's Princess Elizabeth, whom he met at Darmouth Naval College during a royal inspection. She was in the safety of Windsor Castle with her younger sister Margaret, who teased Elizabeth about her crush on Philip.
When the war was finally over, Philip went to England and was urged by his uncle Mountbatten to ask for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. The British were wary of foreigners, especially those who were German or had German connections. Each of Philip's four sisters had married German aristocrats, some of whom were involved in the German SS.
To marry Elizabeth, Philip made the decision to renounce his Greek citizenship, royal title, and religion. He instead became a part of the Anglican Church of England and obtained British citizenship. To cap it all off, Philip changed his name to Mountbatten, his uncle's Anglicized surname. Instead of marrying Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, Elizabeth would now be wedded simply to the more English-sounding Philip Mountbatten, RN.
His future father-in-law, King George VI, conferred on Philip the titles of Baron Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth, and his more commonly known title, Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Philip was teased as "Phil the Greek" in the media and in aristocratic circles.It irked some of the nobility that he had been given the title of His Royal Highness. They pointed out that Dukes not born of royal blood should be referred to as 'His Grace' only. Elizabeth and the rest of the Royal Family, however, did not care in the least. Even the stern Queen Mary pooh-pooh'd the comments. She liked Philip and his sense of humor.
Responding to one rather snobby comment on Philip's existance in the Royal Family, the old Queen stated that having Philip in the family would be "useful". How right she was, as Prince Philip has been the Queen's most trusted advisor and confidant for over 60 years.
[Top]
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Christened: Andrew Albert Christian Edward
Titles: The Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh
Honors: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
The Duke of York is the second son and the third child of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. He was born on February 19, 1960 at Buckingham Palace, the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years.
He went to Heatherdown Prepatory School, and then to Gordonstoun. He then went on to pursue a naval career in 1979. He was a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, earning the adoration of the nation. Andrew sailed in HMS INVINCIBLE as part of the Task Force that went to the South Atlantic to regain the Falkland Islands.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were engaged on March 19, 1986. They were married in Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986. At the time of their marriage Prince Andrew was created The Duke of York and Sarah became The Duchess of York. However, in March 1992 it was announced that The Duke and Duchess were to separate; they were divorced in May 1996. They continue to live together at Sunninghill with their two daughters.
[Top]
Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
Christened: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
Title: Princess Royal
Honors: Fellow of the Royal Society, Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter;
Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Thistle
Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was born at Clarence House, London, August 15th, 1950. She is the second child and only daughter of HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Prince Philip. She is two years younger than Prince Charles, and like her brother she was born right before their mother became Queen.
The Princess started her education in a small private class held at Buckingham Palace, where The Queen had moved with her family shortly after her accession. Then, at the age of thirteen, Princess Anne went on to Benenden, a boarding school in Kent.
The Queen, well-known for her knowledge of horses and breeding, passed the talent for this hobby on to her daughter at a young age. A few years before her marriage, Princess Anne competed in the equestrian event in the 1972 Montreal Olympics, representing Britain.
At age twenty-three, The Princess Royal met Lieutenant (later Captain) Mark Phillips of The Queen's Dragoon Guards. They were engaged on 29th May 1973, and married later that year in Westminster Abbey on 14th November. A few months after their marriage, an attempt was made to kidnap The Princess, as she and her new husband were driving back to Buckingham Palace after a charity event.
Anne was able to successfully hold the kidnapper at bay until he was subdued. She and her husband held the door of her car shut, hoping that the man would give up. Not so easily.....
"What good will this do?" Anne shouted to the kidnapper, as he tried to yank her door open. "Go away!"
"That girl's got steel britches," said one local shop owner when told of the incident. The Princess and her husband were unhurt, but her personal protection officer was shot and wounded during the incident. He was later awarded the George Cross for his bravery.
After everything settled down, Princess Anne became pregnant with her first child, Peter Mark Andrew Phillips, who was born on 15th November 1977. The Princess's second child was born on 15th May 1981, and was christened Zara Anne Elizabeth. The two are very close to their cousins William and Harry, sons of Prince Charles.
Unfortunately, the marriage of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips was dissolved in April 1992. On 12th December the same year The Princess Royal married Commander Timothy Laurence, Royal Navy (now Commodore Laurence), at a private ceremony at Crathie Church, near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.The family lives at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire.
Always a dedicated supporter of charity and a tireless worker on behalf of children, she received the title Princess Royal from The Queen in June 1987. Her best known work is for "Save The Children". She went to all sorts of third-world countries, which astounded many in the palace. Anne didn't worry a bit about contracting diseases; she merely got the shots required and marched right into the most desolate and poor areas of the world.
[Top]
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Christened: Edward Antony Richard Louis
Title: Earl of Wessex
Honors: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
HRH Prince Edward is the youngest child and thrid son of HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip. He was born March 10, 1964. Like his brother Andrew, only four years older and closer to him than his other siblings, he went to Heatherdown Prepatory School in Ascot and Gordonstoun in Scotland. After, he went to Jesus College in Cambridge, where he graduated in 1986 with a BA in History.
Edward, like his brother Charles, Prince of Wales, is a naturally gentle and quite sort. He is the first royal to ever take a regular civilian job. His first was with Andrew Lloyd Webber's acting company, and then he went on to produce his own TV documentaries called "Crown and Country" with his former company, Ardent Productions Ltd.
Three of the greatest interests of The Earl of Wessex are young people, the arts and sport. Since 1986, when he achieved Gold in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, he has been closely involved with the work of the charity; as a United Kingdom and International Trustee of the Scheme, he travels throughout Britain and overseas.
The Earl is Patron of several theatrical and musical organizations, amateur and professional, especially those supporting youth in the performing arts. Some organizations are: National Youth Music Theatre and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland; and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
Edward enjoys a number of sports, such as horse-riding, tennis, sailing, badminton, and skiing. He took up tennis while at University when he was forced to give up rugby due to an injury. His patronage of sporting organizations greatly reflects these interests. In early 1990, the Earl opened the Commonwealth Games in Auckland and was elected President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, succeeding The Duke of Edinburgh. He also serves as Patron of the Ocean Youth Club and the Scottish Badminton Union.
The Prince became engaged to Miss Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones on January 6th, 1999. On June 19th of that year, they married at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
Born in Oxford on January 20, 1965, Sophie was educated at Dulwich College Preparatory School and West Kent College before pursuing a career in public relations.
Upon marriage, Sophie became known as HRH The Countess of Wessex. It was also decided between the couple that any children they might have should not be given the style His or Her Royal Highness, but would have courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an earl. Their daughter, Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary, is simply Lady Louise. Their son, James Alexander Philip Theo, is Viscount Severn.
Prince Edward is the next in line to inherit the title of Duke of Edinburgh after his father, Prince Philip.
[Top]
Prince William of Wales
Christened: William Arthur Philip Louis
Title: HRH Prince William of Wales
Nicknames: The Heir, Wills, Wombat
Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was born on June 21, 1982 at St Mary's Hospital in London. He is the firstborn son of the Prince of Wales and Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and is 3rd in line for the most powerful throne on earth. He was the first future king of England born in hospital, the first to wear disposable diapers, and the first to attend nursery school.
When he was born, William looked just like his father, but then started to get his mother's features more and more. Today, at almost 18 years of age, Prince William is starting to look more like a blond, male version of the Queen when she was at that age.
Prince William's childhood was anything but typical. Obviously, when he is the future king, but Diana tried to make it as normal as possible for him, taking him to McDonald's, shopping, etc. Prince Charles, though more inclined to give William a traditional royal upbringing, allowed Diana to show their son a few things in everyday life. However, at the age of five, he told friends that he wasn't allowed to know the name of his school "for security reasons." William and Charles, the two senior heirs to the throne, cannot fly anywhere together in case of an attack or accident. And wherever Prince William goes, personal policemen are never far off.
Prince William has one sibling, his younger brother Harry, who was born in 1984. They get along well with each other, and are very close, but they have the usual sibling rows, I'm sure. It is said William gets along very well with everyone, and has a very cheerful, outgoing nature. His father had trouble fitting in and was cruelly hazed while at Cheam, his prepatory school. William is generally known to get on well with all his classmates. His first school was Mrs. Mynors' Nursery School in London, which he attended for two years. Then he spent three years at Wetherby School, also in London. He was good at reading, spelling and swimming, a sport Diana had been excellent in during her younger days at school.
At first, Prince William was a rambunctious little boy. The media loved reporting on his every misbehavior, from trying to flush his father's shoes down the toilet to bedeviling a flower girl at his uncle Andrew's wedding with a ceremonial dagger. Such misadventures earned him the name "Billy the Basher". But as he grew older, he became more quiet and thoughtful. William still seems to have a touch of rebelliousness, however. After he slipped away from the security staff at Balmoral Castle for about a half an hour, he was made to wear an electronic tracking bracelet which he currently sports. Because he is the heir to the throne, he was raised to have a background that mirrors his grandmother's: duty, protocol, responsibilites. The only difference is that he has had more freedom and is allowed to do more modern things.
At age eight, Prince William was sent to Ludgrove where he shared a room with four other boys. He spent five years there, and during this time, Charles and Diana separated, and then began divorce proceedings. When on holiday from school, William and Harry divided their time between Charles and Diana, at either St. James' Palace and Highgrove, (Charles' offices and private home, respectively) or Kensington Palace.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were both reportedly warm parents, and Prince William was especially close to both his mother and father. Princess Diana broke royal protocol by hugging the boys in public and taking them to amusement parks and the movies. Charles was a very good father, but usually his important duties took him away from his boys. They made up for lost time at the family holiday at Balmoral.
At Ludgrove, Prince William proved to be an excellent athlete. He was on the school soccer, basketball, and swimming teams, and became captain of hockey and rugby teams. He also participated in clay pigeon shooting and cross country running. William is also and excellent skier, going to Klosters on holidays with the Prince. Another of his interests was acting; he appeared in several school plays and said in 1993 that he would like to become a professional actor. This very much mirrored his father's enjoyment of acting while at Cambridge; Charles participated in several plays while there.
[Top]
Prince Harry of Wales
Christened: Henry Charles Albert David
Title: HRH Prince Henry of Wales
Nicknames: Harry, The Spare
Prince Harry was born September 15, 1984 at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington. He is the second son of Prince Charles and his former wife, Diana Princess of Wales. As the 3rd in line to the throne, Harry is not under as much pressure as his elder brother, but being a member of the Royal Family still has its boundaries.
Like his elder brother William, Harry also attended Mrs Mynors nursery school. Harry then moved on to Wetherby School in London and eventually, in September 1992, Harry joined William at Ludgrove School in Berkshire where he stayed for five years.
Harry is very outgoing, more so than William. The elder prince was more often in the public eye as the next king, but as they have grown older Harry is just as much a target for the media as William.
More recently, Prince Harry became an officer in the British Army. Although he is focusing on his military career at the moment, he is Patron to a small number of organizations close to his heart. He has been to Africa on several occasions, where he participated in a documentary about the plight of orphans in Lesotho.
On April 13th, 2008, Harry was promoted from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant. [Top]
Princess Beatrice of York
Christened: Beatrice Elizabeth Mary Windsor
Title: HRH Princess Beatrice of York
Nickname: Bea
Beatrice, the eldest daughter of HRH The Duke of York, was born August 8, 1988. She lives at Sunninghill Park with her father, mother, and younger sister Eugenie.
As a small child, she was a placid soul and passionate about all things feminine. She loved the color pink, tying her hair with ribbons, and was a fan of Disney's "The Little Mermaid". Comparisons are drawn between the York family of today and of yesteryear. For one thing, both Dukes of York married non-royal women, and both had two daughters. Princess Beatrice is the first Princess of York since her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Princess Beatrice currently resides in an apartment at St Jamess Palace near her uncle, Prince Charles. [Top]
Princess Eugenie of York
Christened: Eugenie Victoria Helena Windsor
Title: HRH Princess Eugenie of York
Eugenie is the younger daughter of HRH The Duke of York. She was born March 23, 1990 and is the Queen's 6th grandchild. She is named for the Empress Eugenie, Queen Victoria, and Helena, a daughter of Victoria.
Eugenie was always an independent child, and very adventurous. At age two she was in the saddle, riding a pony used by her cousins William, Harry, Peter, and Zara. She was adored by elder sister Beatrice, who looked at baby Eugenie as her own 'dolly'.
As children, Eugenie and Beatrice were dressed in matching outfits just as their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, had been. Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret were four years apart but often wore matching outfits to the delight of their mother.
As Eugenie approached her 18th birthday however, she began to develop her own sense of style. She was photographed for the cover of Tatler, wearing a purple silk-duchesse satin gown by Ralph Lauren and decorated in Bulgari jewels. It was plain that Eugenie had grown more confident in the days since her childhood back problems were allivated by surgery at age 12. The Princess underwent a seven-hour operation to correct a curvature of her spine. Happily, the operation was a complete success and Eugenie grew two inches taller.
The Princess is currently studying at Marlborough College with A levels in Art, History of Art and English. [Top]
Master Peter Phillips
Christened: Peter Mark Andrew Phillips
Title: None
Peter Phillips, born November 15th, 1977, is the eldest child of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips. Peter is the first grandchild of HM The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. He lives at Gatcombe Park with his family.
Like his little sister Zara, he bears no title. His parents, (Anne in particular) were adamant about the children remaining normal people and out of the spotlight. Anne understood the difficulty of being a royal princess, constantly in the public eye, and didn't want them to be spoiled in any way. Mark Phillips was offered a title by Her Majesty upon his marriage to Anne, but politely refused. They knew the children would have enough trouble with the spotlight being the off-spring of the Princess Royal and so close to the throne.
Peter is like a big brother to Prince William, and the two are very close. He is usually seen with the Prince at public family functions along with Zara.
[Top]
Miss Zara Phillips
Christened: Miss Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips
Title: None
Zara, the youngest child of The Princess Royal and Mark Phillips, was born May 15,1981. She, too, bears no royal title like her brother. As it turns out, Zara is quite bubbly and outgoing, and a very nice girl. She and Peter are the closest to the heir and the spare to the throne out of all the royal cousins.
Like her mother and grandmother the Queen, Zara is fond of horses and loves to participate in equestrian events. Keeping with tradition, she went to Gordonstoun like her brother, and Uncles Charles, Andrew, and Edward, and grandfather Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
[Top]
David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
Christened: David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones
Courtesy Title: Viscount Linley
David was born on 3 November, 1961 at Clarence House to Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones. He holds the courtesy title of Lord Linley.
At age five he started lessons in the Buckingham Palace schoolroom with cousin Prince Andrew. He went to the pre-prepatory school Ashdown House, then on to Millbrook House, and then finally Bedales, renowned for its arts and design. David then studied at Parnham House School for Craftsman in Wood.
Along with his father's artistic temperament, David inherited his mother's wit and strong character. He made a point to distance himself from the rest of the Royal Family and determined to make his own way. He set up David Linley Co Ltd. , a furniture company that creates beautiful pieces, along with fine wood photo frames, candlestick holders, and more. Viscount Linley also published his first book "Classical Furniture" in 1993 and a second book, "Extraordinary Furniture" in 1996. He lives in London with his wife Serena, who is a sculptor. In 1999, they had their first child, Charles Patrick Inigo, followed by a daughter, Margarita Elizabeth Alleyne, in 2002.
[Top]
| Line of Succession - The first Twenty |
| 1. HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (1948) |
| 2. HRH Prince William of Wales (1982) |
| 3. HRH Prince Henry of Wales (1984) |
| 4. HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York (1960) |
| 5. HRH Princess Beatrice of York (1988) |
| 6. HRH Princess Eugenie of York (1990) |
| 7. HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (1964) |
| 8. James, Viscount Severn (2007) |
| 9. Lady Louise Windsor (2003) |
| 10. HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (1950) |
| 11. Master Peter Phillips (1977) |
| 12. Miss Zara Phillips (1981) |
| 13. David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (1961) |
| 14. The Hon. Charles Armstrong-Jones (1999) |
| 15. The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones (2002) |
| 16. Lady Sarah Chatto (1964) |
| 17. Master Samuel Chatto (1996) |
| 18. Master Arthur Chatto (1999) |
| 19. HRH Prince Richard, The (2nd) Duke of Gloucester (1944) |
| 20. Alexander, Earl of Ulster (1974) |
Home || Copyrights
