On Friday morning, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Philip was 99 years old, 5 years older than his spouse, to whom he was married for the last 74 years. The prince, therefore, was the adjutant of the reign, tasked with accompanying the sovereign on her travels and diplomatic events.

However, Philip had a golden cradle and was part of a royal family long before his marriage to Elizabeth II in 1947. His grandfather was King George I of Greece, the birthplace of Philip and his royal family. This same family had been expelled from Greece in 1922 following a coup d'état that drove Andrew of Greece and Denmark - Philip's father - and his family into exile in France.

His four sisters married into German aristocratic families, while young Prince Philip went to live with his maternal grandmother, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, in England. On British soil, Philip then joined the navy and in 1939, with the declaration of war on Germany, he took part in the conflict. Prince Philip was soon promoted to first lieutenant, on board HMS Valiant,battleship that operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, and was already operational during World War I.

Post-war and Prince Philip next to the throne

In 1952, 27-year-old Elizabeth II ascended the throne after the death of her father George VI. At the time, Philip and Elizabeth had already been married for five years. When the succession to the throne took place, however, Prince Philip left active service in the navy to devote himself to royal duties with Elizabeth. Philip also attained the rank of commander before his departure from the military andeven stated later that he would have preferred to remain active.

(Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

Prince Philip had retired in the year 2017, when Buckingham Palace announced the end of his public activities. In the last two years, including, the prince suffered a decline in health, suffering mostly from heart disease.

In addition to his royal role, therefore, Philip has also been a sponsor of more than 800 philanthropic organizations and chairman of the World Wildlife Fund.

The cause of death has not been made public and Philip's wake is expected to take place this weekend, being reserved for the Royal Family and few attendees, due to the pandemic.

With information from O Globo and Folha de São Paulo.