Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II have been married for more than seventy years, and for sure this is a great achievement. The union between them has been in the spotlight since the day they tied the knot, and the fact that they have sailed through life together shows how powerful and robust love can be. They are cousins who had the opportunity of meeting in their younger days; Elizabeth was 8 years while Philip was 13. They met in 1934 during the royal wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark who was getting married to Elizabeth's uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent. Next time, they met again at the Royal Naval College after 5 years, where Elizabeth fell in love with Philip, and they started exchanging love letters.
Marriage is not a bed of roses as we all know and this has been the case with the duo because over the years lots of facts have been disclosed about them, but they remain unaffected by naysayers. You might have heard that Prince Philip related to Queen Elizabeth but maybe you never went into getting details about it.
How Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Are Related
Maybe you still find it hard to believe the statement "Prince Philip related to Queen Elizabeth”. The relation between the two can be better understood by having a keen look at the connection with Queen Victoria and Christian IX.
1. Relation through Queen Victoria
Let's have a look at the relation through Queen Victoria first.
- Phillip's connection to Queen Victoria
Prince Philip is closely related to Queen Victoria who ruled Britain between 1837 and 1901. Queen Victoria is the great-great-grandmother of Prince Philip because his mother was a descendant of Queen Victoria. Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother to Philip, and the father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. Princess Victoria of Hesse and Rhine was the mother of Princess Alice and the wife to Prince Louis of Battenberg. Princess Victoria of Hesse and Rhine gave birth to Princess Alice of the United Kingdom.
To make it easy to understand, you can have it as a summary here- Queen Victoria was the mother of Alice of the United Kingdom, Alice of the United Kingdom was the mother of Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine. Victoria of Hesse and by the Rhine was the mother of Alice of Battenberg who was the mother of Philip Duke of Edinburgh.
- Elizabeth's connection to Queen Victoria
Queen Elizabeth is related to Queen Victoria through paternal lines which means that her father was either a son or a grandson to Queen Victoria. George VI was the father of Queen Elizabeth, and her mother was Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. George V was the father of George VI, and George V's was the son of Edward VII who was a son to Queen Victoria.
2. Relation through King Christian IX of Denmark
Checking on the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip through their connection to King Christian IX of Denmark, the two are second cousins. Philip and Elizabeth are related to King Christian IX of Denmark through paternal lineage which means that their respective father is descendants of Christian IX.
- Prince Philip's connection to Christian IX
Christian IX of Denmark was the father of George I, George I of Greece who ruled between 1845 and 1943 and was the father of Prince Andrew. In 1867 Prince Andrew married Olga, and they gave birth to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark who was the father to Prince Philip.
- The relationship between Christian IX and Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth's father, George VI, hailed from Christian IX. Christian IX was the father of Alexandra. Alexandra of Denmark was the mother of George V. Elizabeth's father was George VI who was a son to George V.
Remarks
It is now clear that Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth are related having followed their descendants from Christian IX and Queen Victoria. Following them from the lineage of Queen Victoria, we can see that the two are third cousins while following them through Christian IX we can see them as second cousins. But the couple has lived together for long, and they have stood against all the odds just like in other marriages because no union lacks its ups and downs.