Who was Prince Philip and what do we know about his life?

The Duke of Edinburgh at the Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst in 2006 (Lewis Whyld/PA)

Prince Philip, the husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth has died, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Philip, 99, was the longest-serving consort in British history.

Prince Philip and the Queen were married for more than 70 years and he dedicated decades of his life to royal duty, serving the nation at the monarch’s side.

Here is a look at his’s life and royal role:

The Duke of Edinburgh after attending West Newton Church near Sandringham, Norfolk in 2010 (Chris Radburn/PA)

– When was he born?

Philip was born on June 10 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu.

He was a prince of Greece and Denmark and his parents were Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

He was exiled from Greece as a child and grew up in France, Germany and Britain.

Prince Philip of Greece (left) with his cousin King Michael Of Romania in 1928 (PA)

– How did he meet Queen Elizabeth?

They were distant cousins and both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria.

They attended some of the same events in their youth – a wedding in 1934 and King George VI’s coronation in 1937.

But they had their first publicised meeting in 1939 when Philip was 18 and Princess Elizabeth was 13.

Princess Elizabeth dancing with her fiance, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (PA)

The princess’s parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had taken her and her sister, Princess Margaret, to visit the naval college in Dartmouth and cadet Philip was assigned to entertain the princesses.

– What did Philip do in the Second World War?

He fought for Britain in the Royal Navy.

He saw active service from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, and by 1945 was in Tokyo Bay as the Japanese surrendered.

Prince Philip was a serving officer in the Royal Navy (PA)

He was mentioned in despatches for his service on battleship HMS Valiant in 1941.

– When did he marry Princess Elizabeth?

Philip and Elizabeth’s engagement was announced in July 1947 and the royal wedding took place on November 20 1947 in London’s Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth was 21 and not yet Queen.

Five years after they married – in 1952 – George VI died and Elizabeth became the monarch.

Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh leaving Westminster Abbey after their wedding ceremony (PA)

– What was Philip’s surname?

Philip renounced his Greek title and became a naturalised Briton in 1947. He became Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.

He chose his new surname Mountbatten – an Anglicised form of his mother’s maiden name Battenberg – rather than Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg – the family name of the Danish royal house from which his father was descended.

He was made the Duke of Edinburgh by Princess Elizabeth’s father, George VI, just before the wedding. The Queen later made him a prince of the UK.

– How many children did they have?

The Queen and Philip had four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne,  Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

The Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen and their children Prince Edward, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew, at Balmoral in 1979 (PA)

– What did he do for the royal family?

He is known for supporting the Queen through her long reign, and carrying out thousands of royal engagements.

He also was involved for decades with hundreds of charities, and set up The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award youth adventure scheme.

– What else is he known for?

His gaffes. Philip was famed for his off-the-cuff remarks, which ranged from the quick-witted and funny to the politically incorrect and offensive.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Coronation Day 1953 (PA)

– Why was he not King Philip?

The husband of a reigning Queen, unlike a Queen consort, is not crowned nor anointed at a coronation.