Duke Of Edinburgh Prince Philip Once Said He Had ‘No Desire’ To Live To 100 & Couldn’t ‘Imagine Anything Worse’

Jul 27, 2021 by apost team

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, has died at age 99, according to an April 9, 2021, Buckingham Palace announcement. Having been married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years, he was the longest-serving spouse of any British monarch.

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," Buckingham Palace wrote in a statement posted online.

"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will (be) made in due course. The Royal Family join(s) with people around the world in mourning his loss."

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, retired from his royal duties in 2017 at the age of 95, removing himself from the public eye. Before stepping back, he was considered one of the busiest royals, having had more than 22,000 solo appearances, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Over his long life, Prince Philip was known for many things: his steadfast duty, his devotion to his wife of 74 years, and his straightforward, at times even acerbic style of talking. He did not mince words and was often quite outspoken about his opinions, even if the choice of words was not appropriate or the opinion was not appreciated by those whom he was talking to. Although his charming wit and dutiful nature afforded him a bit of leeway, one interview with The Telegraph's Gyles Brandreth from back in 2000 shocked royal fans. The Duke of Edinburgh told Brandeth back then about how he didn't want to live to see his centennial.

Read on to learn more about the rather shocking interview statements Philip made while speaking with Gyles Brandreth.

Prince Philip was born June 10, 1921, in Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece. In fact, Prince Philip was born as a royal, originally inheriting the title of the Prince of Greece and Denmark. However, Biography reports that his family was exiled from Greece when he was only an infant, which led to a lot of turbulence in his early life. He was reared mainly in Great Britain, being educated at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, followed by his attendance at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. He met his future wife, Elizabeth, for the first time in 1934, when both families attended the marriage of his cousin to Elizabeth's uncle and met once again when Elizabeth's father, George VI, was crowned.

Their love story began when 13-year-old Elizabeth developed a crush on the 18-year-old Prince Philip, who was a naval cadet at the time. She started writing him letters, which he responded to while he was on active duty serving in the Royal Navy. According to Biography, the relationship truly blossomed when young Prince Philip saw young Elizabeth perform in the pantomime "Aladdin" in 1943. Their relationship continued to become stronger through the years, and Prince Philip asked Elizabeth to marry him in 1946. 

Before he got married, he was required to give up his titles and succession to the throne in Greece. He did so willingly and took on his mother's surname Mountbatten. Originally a German noble family, Prince Philip's grandparents changed their name from the original German version of "Battenberg" to an English translation when they adopted English nationality during World War I.

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Aside from his wit and long and exceptional service as a Naval officer, Philip also took up many appearances as a senior royal and worked on several personal projects. Among those is The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE), a youth program originally designed to offer an alternative to the Boy Scouts. It was not necessary to officially 'join' any association, and the participating children do not need to wear a uniform. Nowadays, the program is present in 144 countries and offers youths of both genders chances at self-improvement by offering classes in sports, arts, physical or social skills, volunteer work, or 'expeditions,' that is, spending time in nature. The DofE award offers different programs for youths aged 14 to 25.

During the 2000 interview with The Telegraph's Gyles Brandreth, Prince Philip said that he had "no desire whatsoever" to live to be a hundred years old. Given that he died just before his centennial, Prince Philip avoided the 100-year birthday just in time. At the time of the interview, Philip was 79. He said:

"I can't imagine anything worse. Bits of me are falling off already."

Shortly before Philip's passing, he was hospitalized for 28 days to fight an infection and pre-existing heart condition. He passed away on April 9, 2021, and a private funeral was held at Windsor Castle. Since his passing, the queen has been attending royal tours with other royal family members instead of being accompanied by her husband. Although the Duke of Edinburgh will be missed by many, his legacy will live on beyond him. In fact, the duke has been commemorated with coins and special stamps in honor of his life.

What do you think about Philip's frank statements? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family.