Royal Relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh

Today marks the 100th Birthday of the late Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away just a few weeks ago! The Greek Prince who became the hardworking longest serving Prince Consort of the longest-reigning Monarch in British History, the late Duke lived a long and fascinating life, and we had originally planned for our ‘100 Facts about the Duke of Edinburgh‘ to be published today (but we had to release it in April), so instead, based off the success of a twitter thread from a few months ago, we are looking at the Royal Relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh.

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Be sure to click on the links to view to the detailed articles about each individual!

100 Facts about the Duke of Edinburgh

Born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, the Duke’s father was Prince Andrew of Greece, the fourth son of King George I of Greece. himself a son of Christian IX of Denmark, and Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I. His mother was born Princess Alice of Battenberg, the deaf eldest daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg (later first Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Through them, Prince Philip’s great-uncles and great-aunts included Queen Alexandra of the United KingdomEmpress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, King Frederick VIII of Denmark, the Grand Duke of Hesse, and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna (the Duke provided his DNA to identify the Romanov remains).

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s eldest sister, Princess Margarita, was married to the 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. His second sister, Princess Theodora, married Berthold, the Margrave of Baden, son of the last Chancellor of Imperial Germany. The third sister, Princess Cecilie, married the Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, and died in a tragic plane crash with her family in 1937. Prince Phillip’s fourth sister, Princess Sophie, first married Prince Christoph of Hesse, who died in WWII, and then Prince George William of Hanover, having 8 children before her death in 2001.

The Duke’s nieces and nephews included the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, Princess Margarita of Baden and Yugoslavia, Prince Karl of Hesse, Princess Dorothea of Windisch-Grätz, and Princess Christina of Hesse and Yugoslavia. At his funeral earlier this year, they were represented by the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (great-nephew, representing the family of Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg), the Hereditary Prince of Baden (great-nephew, representing the family of Princess Theodora, Margravine of Baden), the Landgrave of Hesse (cousin, representing the family of Princess Cecilie, Grand Duchess of Hesse, and Princess Sophie of Greece, Hesse and Hanover)

Prince Phillip’s eldest paternal uncle was King Constantine I of Greece, who reigned from 1913-1917 and again from 1920-1922, was married to Princess Sophia of Prussia, a sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Their eldest son, King George II of Greece, reigned from 1922-24, 1935-40, and 1946-47. He married and divorced Princess Elisabeth of Romania, and encouraged Prince Phillip to join the British Royal Navy during WWII. King Constantine’s second son reigned as King Alexander I of Greece as an interim ruler between 1917 and 1920, until he died from a monkey bite. King Alexander’s posthumous daughter became Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, and was a childhood playmate of Prince Phillip before becoming the exiled last Queen of Yugoslavia.

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The third brother was King Paul of Greece, who reigned from 1947 to 1964, who Prince Phillip met many times, and also attended his funeral. King Paul’s son, King Constantine II of Greece, was Sovereign for three years before being exiled for over 40 years, living in the UK, where he was very close to the British Royal Family. King Constantine’s sister is Queen Sofia of Spain, who is the wife of King Juan Carlos and mother of the current King Felipe VI of Spain, who the Queen and Duke hosted in 2017.

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Another of Prince Phillip’s first cousins was Queen Mother Helen of Romania, who was awarded the status ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ for her efforts during WWII. Her son was King Michael of Romania, who reigned from 1927 to 1930 and then again from 1941 to 1947, before being deposed and exiled. Prince Phillip and his sisters stayed with King Michael for an extended holiday in the late 1920s, and King Michael met his wife, Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, at the Queen and Duke’s Wedding in 1947. Queen Helen’s sister was Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta, who married an Italian Prince and was the short-lived Queen of Croatia. Her son, the recently deceased Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta was a claimant to the former Italian Throne.

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The Duke’s second uncle, Prince George of Greece, was married to Princess Marie Bonaparte, who became a psychoanalyst, rescued Freud from the Nazis, and also financially supported Prince Phillip’s family in exile in the 1920s. Their daughter, Princess Eugenie of Greece, another first cousin of the Duke, first married Prince Dominik Radziwiłł and then Prince Raimundo von Thurn und Taxis, the 2nd Duke of Castel Duino.

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Prince Phillip’s third uncle, Prince Nicholas, was married to Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, the only daughter of the the famous Grand Duchess Vladimir. Prince and Princess Nicholas’ eldest daughter, Princess Olga was married to WWII Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia, who was disgracefully exiled by the Allies during the War. Her sister, Princess Elizabeth married Count Carl Theodor of Törring-Jettenbach and became the mother of Archduchess Helene of Austria. The youngest sister, Princess Marina, married Prince George, Duke of Kent (the Queen’s uncle) making her the first cousin and aunt-in-law of Prince Phillip (at whose wedding he first met the Queen).

The Duke’s first cousins also included Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who married and divorced a Swedish Prince and alter established an atelier, and her brother, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, who assassinated Rasputin and had an affair with Coco Chanel. The youngest of the Duke’s paternal first cousins was Prince Michael of Greece, a notable author, who is now, after Prince Phillip’s death, the last surviving grandchild of King George I and Queen Olga of Greece.

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s eldest maternal uncle was the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, who along with his grandmother, princess Victoria, took charge of him until his death in 1938. His son, the 3rd Marquess, was Prince Phillip’s Best Man at his Wedding to the Queen in 1947.

Prince Phillip’s maternal aunt became Queen Louise of Sweden, despite once declaring she would never marry a King or a widower. The Queen and Duke hosted the Swedish King and Queen in 1954 (their first incoming State Visit), and also visited Sweden in 1956.

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The Duke’s more famous uncle is Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India, who took him under his wing for his naval career and continued to be a force in Prince Philip’s life until his assassination by the IRA.

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Lord Mountbatten’s elder daughter was Patricia, the 2nd Countess Mountbatten. It was at her wedding to Lord Brabourne that the relationship between the Queen and Prince Philip was publicly revealed. Her daughter-in-law, the current Countess Mountbatten, was the Duke’s carriage driving partner and was among the 30 mourners at his Funeral.

Her younger sister, Lady Pamela Hicks, was a bridesmaid and later a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen. The entire Royal Family attended her Wedding to David Hicks in 1960 and remain close to the family to this day. Lady Pamela is the Duke’s last surviving maternal first cousin.

This article just focused on the Duke’s aunts, uncles, and first cousins but, as expected with such an illustrious lineage, there are many more prominent royal figures among Prince Phillip’s extended family. If you would like to know more, please let us know and we can expand this article. 

Royal Family Tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh | Foreign Royal Condolences on the Death of the Duke of Edinburgh | Royal Relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh | 100 Facts about the Duke of Edinburgh

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3 thoughts on “Royal Relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh

  1. I couldn’t help but notice how proud Princess Margarita looks while she’s dancing with her bother, Duke of Edinburgh and consort to the Queen of Great Britain. It was lovely to see him with his womenfolk. They were seldom in the public eye even though they were no doubt very much part of the royal family. May he rest in peace.

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