Prince Philip Is Officially Queen Victoria’s Longest Lived Direct Descendant
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is now officially Queen Victoria’s oldest living direct descendant, as he has surpassed the former relation who held that title, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
Town & Country says that Prince Philip, 97, is the great, great grandchild of Queen Victoria (as is Queen Elizabeth II), and he will turn 98-years-old in June. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were close to Princess Alice, who died in 1981, according to the princess’ obituary in The New York Times.
“She was popular with Queen Elizabeth, who telephoned her frequently and invited her to most royal events,” the obituary read.
Prince Philip is the oldest living member of the British royal family, the oldest living male member of all time, and the third longest-lived member of the British royal family, following Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who lived to be 101, and Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester, who died at age 102.
Prince Philip retired from royal duties in 2017, and is rarely seen in public. He attended the weddings of his grandchildren, Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie, last year after undergoing two hip replacement surgeries, but he now tends to stay close to home.
Prince Philip didn’t attend Queen Elizabeth’s birthday celebration this year at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, and has said that he assesses how he feels on a day-by-day basis.
Prince Philip seen driving for the first time since giving up his licence after crash
https://t.co/gYZiuUX8wX pic.twitter.com/Fajp7veXC4— The Sun (@TheSun) April 19, 2019
Queen Victoria is widely known as the grandmother of Europe, as most royalty is descended from her, says The Inquisitr. The PBS series, Victoria, tells the story of the famous queen to a whole new generation, laying out the legacy of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, who had nine children and 42 grandchildren.
Queen Victoria passed the throne to her son, King Edward VII, who left it to King George V (Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather), which explains how the current queen is a direct link from the great queen whose father was the Duke of Kent, and mother was a German princess.
Prince Philip is the great-grandchild of Queen Victoria’s third child, Princess Alice, who married into a German noble family when she wed Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse.
Together, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip both have set records in relation to Queen Victoria. Prince Philip is holding the record for longevity, and Queen Elizabeth has just surpassed Victoria as the longest British monarch on the throne, according to the History Lovers Club.
“Queen Elizabeth II has surpassed Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch,” they said.
