When Britain's Prince Philip reaches the grand age of 99 on Wednesday, he will spend it quietly and in much the same way he's spent most of his adult life: beside Queen Elizabeth II.
The stalwart consort plans a quiet lunch at Windsor Castle, where the senior royals have been sheltering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some family members may call but the palace is saying little more than that. Britain is still under coronavirus restrictions that limit the size of gatherings and Philip and the 94-year-old queen are well into the over-65 age group most vulnerable to coronavirus.
Wednesday's birthday is just the latest milestone for the man born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921, amid the upheaval that led to a military coup that overthrew his uncle, King Constantine of Greece, a few months later. In 1939, Philip joined the British military as a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. It was there he was asked to escort then-Princess Elizabeth and her sister on a visit to the facility.
Together they had four children - Charles, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, Anne, Andrew and Edward; eight grandchildren, including Prince William, second-in-line to the throne and Harry; and eight great-grandchildren. To many, Philip has been the man, a step or two behind the queen, who told off-colour jokes and occasionally made headlines for being a tad inappropriate.
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