Prince Philip celebrates his 94th birthday on Wednesday 10 June. The Queen's husband, a former naval officer and gentleman known for his mischievous sense of humour, is expected to celebrate the day surrounded by close family.
Meanwhile, in Hyde Park, a salute of 41 guns will be fired by the King's Troop Royal Artillery. The day is also marked by the Union flag being flown from government buildings.
To honour Philip's birthday, HELLO! Online has gathered a list of 15 facts you may not have known about the Duke of Edinburgh.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Philip was born on the island of Corfu as the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg
1. Philip first met the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and the Duke of Kent in 1934. For her, aged only eight, it was the beginning of what would become the love story of her life.
2. The Duke's pet names for the Queen include "sausage" and "cabbage".
3. In November 1947, Philip married Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony attended by royals from around the world, and watched by 200 million people on TV.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHis pet names for the Queen include "sausage" and "cabbage"
4. When he married he had the equivalent of 12 pence in the bank, but Philip designed a bracelet as his wedding present for his bride. The stones came from a tiara owned by his mother.
5. The Duke gave up smoking the day before his marriage.
6. He spent the hours waiting for Prince Charles' birth in 1948 playing squash with his private secretary. He said of his first child: "He looks like a plum pudding!"
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Duke of Edinburgh gave Elizabeth a bracelet he had designed as a wedding gift
7. In 1952 in Kenya, Philip broke the news to his wife that her father George VI had died and she was now Queen.
8. When the late Princess Diana died in 1997 her sons William and Harry did not want to walk behind the coffin, but Philip thought they would regret it later and told them: "If you like, I'll walk with you."
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhen their first son Prince Charles was born, Philip remarked: "He looks like a plum pudding!"
9. Prince William and Kate are not the only trendsetters in the family. GQ magazine have previously named the Queen's husband the 33rd best-dressed man in the UK.
10. In 2008 he asked his Savile Row tailor to alter a pair of trousers he first wore 52 years ago.
11. As a child, Prince Philip spent seven years in France living near Paris with his uncle. On a state visit in 2008, the then French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy marvelled at his "impeccable French".
© Photo: Getty ImagesIn 2008 the Prince had a pair of trousers altered, which he wore 52 years ago
12. Since he founded the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme in 1956, more than four million young people from over 90 countries have taken part, testing their physical fitness and meeting community challenges.
13. Prince Philip has visited more than 170 countries, made more than 5,000 speeches and today is patron, president or member of around 780 charities and organisations.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrinces William and Harry were hesitant about walking behind their mother Diana's coffin in 1997, but Philip offered: "If you like, I'll walk with you"
14. The Duke has eight grandchildren – Peter Phillips, Zara Phillips, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
15. Peter and Autumn Phillips provided him with his first great-grandchild when their daughter Savannah was born in December 2010, who was followed by their second daughter Isla in March 2012. The Duke would then have three more great-grandchildren with the birth of Zara Phillips' first child Mia and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
