Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed away in April of this year, just weeks before he was due to celebrate his 100th birthday.
And he is set to be honoured once again tonight in Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, a TV documentary originally conceived to mark the Duke reaching that milestone age.
The programme will see more than a dozen members of the Royal Family – including all of his children and adult grandchildren – sharing their memories and reflections on the Prince’s life, as well as giving an insight into his life away from the public eye, via footage from the Queen’s private cine-film collection.
During his life Prince Philip held the title of Prince as well as Duke – but despite having been married to the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II for over 70 years, he wasn’t known as King Philip, King Consort or Prince Consort.
So, why wasn’t Philip known as the King?
The answer has to do with royal tradition.
What was Prince Philip’s full title?
Philip’s title at birth, in 1921, was His Royal Highness Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.
He discontinued these titles in 1947, upon marrying the then-Princess Elizabeth and joining the British Royal Family.
On marriage, he was made His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.
Notably, Elizabeth’s title, as the daughter of a monarch, became Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.
She did not become known as Queen Elizabeth II until her coronation in 1953.
Philip was made an official Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, after the Queen had his titles raised beyond the dukedom.
Why was Prince Philip not King Philip?
As per the UK’s common law system, when a man and a woman marry, the woman takes on her husband’s name and rank.
As a title legally forms part of someone’s name in most cases, titles in the Royal Family work in the same way as if an untitled couple got married and the wife took her husband’s name.
This is evidenced in the Edinburgh dukedom, as it is with Prince William and Kate Middleton becoming The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge upon marriage.
However, when a female royal marries, because her rank is higher than the man, he takes on her rank instead.
The Queen has the highest-ranking title in the Royal Family.
Why was Philip not King Consort or Prince Consort?
The wife of a king is usually known as a queen consort, and does take the title of queen – although she doesn’t rule as the monarch.
And the husband of a queen could be known as either prince consort or perhaps even the rarer king consort.
However, these titles need to be bestowed by the monarch – and often agreed by the government.
In 1954, Winston Churchill discussed with 10 Downing Street what Queen Elizabeth II’s husband’s title should be.
Churchill suggested Prince Consort, though this was said to be rejected by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
Other options, including Prince of the Commonwealth, were also vetoed – as revealed in numerous letters.
Regardless, the matter was resolved in 1957, when Philip was made an official Prince of the United Kingdom.
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was his final title – with a notable capital ‘the’, which is a style usually reserved for the children of monarchs.
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Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers is on BBC One on Wednesday night at 9pm.
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