Royal and noble titles and styles
| Styles of The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
- 10 June 1921 – 28 February 1947: His Royal Highness Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark[1]
- 28 February 1947 – 19 November 1947: Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten[2]
- 19 – 20 November 1947: Lieutenant His Royal Highness Sir Philip Mountbatten[3]
- 20 November 1947 – 22 February 1957: His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh[3]
- 22 February 1957 – 9 April 2021: His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh[4][5]
Full style
Prince Philip's British honours were read out at his funeral, held in the United Kingdom, by Thomas Woodcock, Garter Principal King of Arms, as follows:
Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto his divine mercy the late Most High, Mighty and Illustrious Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order upon whom had been conferred the Royal Victorian Chain, Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, One of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal in the Army and Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Husband of Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, whom may God preserve and bless with long life, health and honour and all worldly happiness.[6][7][note 1]
Royal styles and titles 1947
On 19 November 1947, the day preceding his wedding, King George VI bestowed by Letters Patent the style His Royal Highness on Philip and, on the morning of the wedding, 20 November 1947, further Letters Patent created him Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich of Greenwich in the County of London.[3] Consequently, already being a Knight of the Garter, between 19 and 20 November 1947, he bore the unusual style His Royal Highness Sir Philip Mountbatten and is so described in the Letters Patent of 20 November 1947.
Unofficial
Papua New Guinea
- 1952 – 2021 :
Tanna, Vanuatu
- 1952 – 2021 :
Wales
Debate over Prince Philip's titles and honours
Royal title
On the popular, but erroneous, assumption that if Philip had the style of His Royal Highness he was automatically a British Prince, media reports after his marriage to Princess Elizabeth referred to a Prince Philip, with or without reference to any ducal title. This may have been influenced by the fact that he had actually been a Prince of Greece and Denmark by birth, the use of which titles he had discontinued already. Although the princely title was omitted in the British Regency Act 1953, and in Letters Patent of November 1953 appointing Counsellors of State, it had been included in Letters Patent of 22 October 1948 conferring princely rank on children from Philip's marriage to Elizabeth. King George VI, however, is believed to have been clear and intentional in having withheld the title of Prince from his future son-in-law.[note 2]
On 3 February 1953, John Diefenbaker MP expressed to the House of Commons of Canada his desire to see Philip bear a title that alluded to the Queen's pan-national position and put forward the suggestion of Prince of the Commonwealth.[18] In May of the following year, U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill received a written suggestion from the Queen that her husband be granted the title that Diefenbaker had mentioned, or some other suitable augmentation of his style. Churchill preferred the title Prince Consort, but the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, expressed a preference for Prince of the Realm. While the Commonwealth Prime Ministers were assembled in London, Churchill was requested by the Queen to informally solicit their opinions on the matter of the Queen's husband's title. Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent was the only one to express "misgivings", while Philip insisted to the Queen that he objected to any enhancement of his title. The Queen thereafter contacted Churchill and told him to drop the matter.[17] In 1955, the South African Prime Minister J. G. Strijdom belatedly made it known that the South African Cabinet objected to the title Prince of the Commonwealth. When told, the Queen continued to express the wish that her husband's position be raised, but rejected the British Cabinet's recommendations of Prince Consort or Prince Royal. The British Cabinet then suggested simply His Royal Highness the Prince, but the Queen was advised that if she still preferred Prince of the Commonwealth, her Private Secretary could write directly to the Commonwealth Governors-General for their response, though warning that if their consent was not unanimous the proposal could not go forward.
The matter appeared left until the publication on 8 February 1957 of an article by P. Wykeham-Bourne in The Evening Standard titled: "Well, is it correct to say Prince Philip?" A few days following, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan reversed the advice of the Queen's previous ministers and formally recommended that the Queen reject the Prince in favour of Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, deleting the reference to the Commonwealth countries. Letters Patent were issued on 22 February 1957 giving the Duke the style and titular dignity of a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (omitting the wording and Her other Realms and Territories). According to the announcement in The London Gazette, he should henceforth be known as His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,[19] with the capitalised definite article normally restricted to the children of monarchs.[17]
Order of Australia
Prince Philip's elevation on Australia Day 2015 from Companion to Knight of the Order of Australia caused some political controversy in Australia. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's recommendation (via Sir Peter Cosgrove) to the Queen to confer the honour was criticised by the Labor opposition leader, Bill Shorten, among others.[20][21] While conservative ministers and editorials supported his award of an honour,[22][23] Abbott himself later admitted to a lapse of judgement, saying the appointment was 'injudicious'.[24]
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