The late royal had a penchant for Savile Row, and was a quiet
icon of British menswear
Image: Getty
Funeral arrangements for
the late Prince Philip, who died
at age 99 late last week, are underway, as the world continues
to unpack the cultural legacy of the Queen’s late husband. Fans of
The Crown will know that the Prince was a complicated and
imperfect man, guilty of many an awkward public gaffe. But there’s
no doubting his lifelong dedication to public service—which
culminated in more than 20,000 public engagements in more than
seven decades. He was still a working royal up until his 96th
birthday.
Philip has also been celebrated for his lifelong support of the
Queen. His well-documented role as Elizabeth II’s confidante,
advisor, and sounding board during their 73 year marriage has been
framed by some as inherently feminist, a positive example of a
relationship in which a husband puts his own ambitions aside to
allow his wife to lead. “He showed the world what it meant to be a
supportive husband of a powerful woman,”
said Barack Obama. “Through his extraordinary example, he
proved that true partnership has room for both ambition and
selflessness.”
There’s certainly no doubting the Queen’s enduring commitment to
Philip, who she fell in love with at age 13, and who she married at
21, a few short years before her coronation. She has already said
his death leaves “a great void” in her life.
A lesser-discussed aspect of Prince Philip’s legacy is slightly
more superficial—his style. Seeing as he was a public figure for
almost eight decades, traversing the hefty archive of existing
images of the Prince is to experience a masterclass in timeless,
sophisticated menswear. From the military garb he wore to marry the
Queen in 1947, through to his penchant for beige-toned sportswear
and his sizable rotation of Savile Row suits, Philip perfectly
embodied the right kind of nonchalant elegance that continues to
tantalize men and women the globe over.
Here, we celebrate his most memorable style moments.
View of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a
jacket over his shoulder and a top hat in his hand, as he attends a
carriage driving event, Penrith, England, July 1975. (Photo by
Derek Hudson/Getty Images)
BADMINTON, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 15: The Queen
With Prince Philip Photographing A Horse At The Badminton Horse
Trials (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
Images)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Balmoral,
Scotland, 1972. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty
Images)
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with his
daughter Anne, Princess Royal, in Iran to celebrate the 2,500 years
of the Iranian monarchy, 19th October 1971. (Photo by David
Cairns/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
La princesse Anne et le prince Philip naviguant
sur un bateau à Cowes, Ile de Wight, Royaume-Uni le 4 août 1970.
(Photo by KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Images)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on a royal
tour of Canada, July 1970. (Photo by David Cairns/Express/Getty
Images)
Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, rides out
on his pony for the polo match in which he played for the Welsh
Guards against the Diehards at the opening of the polo season at
Smith's Lawn, Windsor (Photo by PA Images via Getty
Images)
CANADA - NOVEMBER 07: The Flying Duke:
Downsview's newest peril; Pilot-Prince Philip met Lt.-Gov. Earl
Rowe at Downsview Airport last night after bringing his
twin-engined Andover down for a perfect landing. (Photo by Norman
James/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with one of
their corgis at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, 1959. (Photo by Hulton
Archive/Getty Images)
September 1957: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince
Philip with Prince Charles and Princess Anne during a visit to a
sawmill on their estate at Balmoral Castle, Scotland. (Photo by
Central Press/Getty Images)
The Duke of Edinburgh walking out to mount his
horse at Cowdry Park when he played for the Cowdry Park team in the
first round of the Tyro Cup Polo tournament. (Photo by PA Images
via Getty Images)
2nd August 1953: Prince Philip, the Duke of
Edinburgh, is accosted by a young autograph seeker at a celebrity
cricket match against the Duke of Norfolk's team at Arundel. It is
a charity match in aid of the National Playing Fields Association.
(Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh with their two young children, Princess Anne and Prince
Charles outside Balmoral Castle, 19th September 1952. (Photo by
Studio Lisa/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
CANADA - JUNE 01: Royal Family - Elizabeth;
Princess and Philip; Prince (1952) (Photo by Norman James/Toronto
Star via Getty Images)
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, taking part
in a Polo match at the Nyeri Polo Club, Kenya, whilst accompanying
Princess Elizabeth on a Royal Tour of the Commonwealth. (Photo by
PA Images via Getty Images)
1952: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh,
consort of Queen Elizabeth II, strides through a crowd at a wedding
in London, followed by Lieutenant Commander Michael Parker. (Photo
by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh, enjoys an old-fashioned hoedown held in the honour of
the Royal Couple at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October
11, 1951. Photo taken during the National Film Board of Canada's
production of 'Royal Journey,' a documentary account of the
five-week visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to
Canada and the United States in the fall of 1951. (Photo by Frank
Royal/NFB/Getty Images)
Princess Elizabeth with her husband Prince
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and their children Prince Charles and
Princess Anne, August 1951. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
Images)
Queen Elizabeth II, as Princess Elizabeth, and
her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, styled Prince Philip in 1957, on
their wedding day. She became queen on her father King George VI's
death in 1952. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
1947: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke
of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace shortly before their wedding.
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
