Introduction
Philip, duke of Edinburgh, in full Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh, earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, also called Philip Mountbatten, original name Philip, prince of Greece and Denmark, was born on June 10 1921, he is a member of the British royal family as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Philip was born to Prince Andrew and Princess Alice. Philip’s father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes. His mother was Princess Alice, who was the eldest daughter of Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st marquess of Milford Haven, and Princess Victoria of Hesse and the Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
In 1922, Prince Philip’s uncle, the King of Greece, Constantine I, was forced to abdicate after losing the Greco-Turkish War. Philip’s father Prince Andrew, who was working in the military, was accused of treason due to “gross incompetence and inability to command large formations” and disobeying a direct order from his commanding officer. Although initially sentenced to death his sentence was converted to life-long exile due to pressure from other countries and his royal relatives around Europe, especially the UK. Philip’s mother was institutionalized and later became a nun, his father ran off with his mistress Andrée Godard also known as Andrée LaFayette, and Philip’s four elder sisters Princess Margarita, Princess Theodora, Princess Cecilie, and Princess Sophie were married off toNazis before the war, subsequently they were not invited to the Royal wedding. Philip later married Princess Elizabeth and had four children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. [1]
Prince Philip and Gordonstoun
In 1934, after spending time studying in France and Germany, Prince Philip was sent to attend the newly made Gordonstoun school in Moray, northeast Scotland. The school was founded by Kurt Hahn in 1934. The schooling would include mountains, the sea, fresh air and other outdoor tasks and activities. Other royals That attended Gordonstoun include five of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s children and grandchildren Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Charles, Prince of Wales; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; Peter Phillips; Zara Phillips, despite objections from Prince Charles. As part of his initiation at Gordonstoun school, Prince Charles, aged 13, was caged naked in a basket and left under a cold shower. [2]
Gordonstoun school was touted as a place for spoilt or wealthy children who needed discipline and toughing up. Child abuse like physical punishment and cold showers were key to Hahn’s approach to his version of disipline. Gordonstoun later became a sanctuary for pedophiles, according to reports some pupils were raped by the staff. In one instance the school coerced the family of a child rape victim that came forward to not press charges, under the promise the rapist would not teach again. Years laters the victim found out the child rapist has continued to teach for decades.[3]
Other notable pupils include, Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia; Lord Ivar Mountbatten; Angus Montagu, 12th Duke of Manchester; Paul-Philippe Hohenzollern Granville Gordon 13th Marquess of Huntly; Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton; Michael Pearson, 4th Viscount Cowdray; John Grant, 13th Earl of Dysart; James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife; Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne; Jasper Duncombe, 7th Baron Feversham; Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon.[4]
Prince Philip and Lord Mountbatten
During his time in the UK, Philip was cared for by his grandmother, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven who lived in Kensington Palace and his “Uncle Dickie”, a nickname given to Lord Mountbatten. In 1939, he joined the British Royal Navy, aged 18. In 1939, Lord Mountbatten introduced Prince Philip to King George VI, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the 13 year old Princess Elizabeth during a visit to Dartmouth Naval College. Lord Mountbatten encouraged Prince Philip to pursue Princess Elizabeth with the goal of elevating his own family’s social standing. They began corresponding that year and through the Second World War. After the war, Philip was granted permission by George VI to marry Elizabeth. [5]
When Prince Philip was required to renounce his Greek citizenship and become a British subject prior to his wedding to Elizabeth, he took Mountbatten as his surname. Lord Mountbatten provided his Broadlands country home to Elizabeth and Philip after their 1947 wedding. When Prince Philip was posted to Malta, he and Princess Elizabeth lived in Earl Mountbatten’s Villa Guardamangia. Lord Mountbatten had considerable sway over Prince Philip. “When King George VI died in 1952, Lord Mountbatten is said to have declared to a room full of guests that “the House of Mountbatten now reigned”. [6]
