PHILIP PRINCE OF GREECE

Sub-titled 'The Duke of Edinburgh's Early Life and The Greek Succession'. Prince Philip lived a remarkable life. Born to royalty Corfu, Greece, in 1921 - his grandmother was a Romanov and his uncle was the King of Greece - his family soon fled to Paris. Later on, he was educated at schools primarily in the UK. After graduating, he joined the Royal Navy, and as they say, the rest is history: he went on to marry Britain's Princess Elizabeth (his third cousin; they share Queen Victoria as their great-great grandmother) and upon her accession to the throne, he became the prince consort. In this long look back into his early years, we uncover hitherto unknown aspects of Philip's life as a Greek prince and his gradual transformation from a mere appendage of the troubled Greek royal family to an enduring pillar of the British monarchy. For the first time, Lagos and Carr delve into neglected Greek archives for a fascinating picture of Philip's early Greek life and the constant insecurity that dogged his steps as his father Prince Andrew of Greece and mother Princess Alice struggled to order their own lives in the maelstrom of unstable and often violent Greek politics in a Europe sliding towards world war. The Greek royal family, in which Philip has his roots, is dealt with at length, to bring out the particular family history and circumstances that played no small part in shaping his personality. Anyone curious about how Prince Philip actually grew up will find in this book a wealth of eye-opening, often startling details that will add more brush strokes to the portrait of the often elusive but real Prince Philip. 288 page paperback.