Prince Philip was refused permission to invite his sisters to assist at his wedding to then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 due to all three being married to German nobles. The Duke of Edinburgh had only his mother, Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark, by his side as he gave up his identity to become the consort to the future Queen. But years later he was able to take his revenge on Royal Family courtiers as he took a leading role in the planning for the coronation.
Channel 5’s ‘Philip: The King Without Crown’ narrator Glynis Barber said: “This time Philip, as chairman of the Coronation Commission, was able to ensure his three sisters were on the guest list to witness the extraordinary pageant.”
The Duke’s sisters, Margarita, Theodora and Sophie, had all married into the German nobility as the family attempted to recover the connections lost after their uncle, Constantine I of Greece, was ousted in a revolution in 1922.
Prince Philip’s fourth sister, Cecilie, had also married a German hereditary Duke but had died with nearly all her family in a plane accident in 1937.
Biographer Philip Eade said: “Prince Philip’s sisters were not invited to the wedding because they were married to quite high-ranking German Officers, one a member of the SS.
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“His father had died during the war so the only member of his family there was his mother.”
Royal commentator Ingrid Seward said: “I think he was a little hurt.
“But it was probably the right decision because there was still very, very strong anti-German feeling in this country.”
But in 1953, all three of the Duke’s sisters were able to attend and witness their brother’s final step towards a life of duty to both the Queen and the Crown.
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He however emerged as a pivotal member of the Royal Family due to his longtime devotion to his role, and to ensuring the stability of the monarchy.
After 70 years of public duties, and over 22,000 engagements both in the UK and abroad, Prince Philip officially retired in 2017.
He has occasionally appeared in public at family events such as the weddings of his grandchildren Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie in 2018, and Lady Gabriella Windsor’s in 2019.
And during the pandemic he put his retirement on break to pass on his title as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to his daughter-in-law Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
