Prince Philip: Queen's husband, Duke of Edinburgh, dies aged 99

Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, has died at the age of 99, Buckingham Palace has said.

Known for his sense of humour and at times controversial gaffes, Queen Elizabeth II's consort was the longest-serving in British history.

His marriage to Queen Elizabeth lasted 74 years, with the couple celebrating their 70th anniversary in 2017. They had four children.

During his time at Buckingham Palace, Philip carried out thousands of solo engagements and hundreds of overseas trips.

The Duke of Edinburgh was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921.

He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939, serving in the Second World War. Aged 17 he joined the battleship HMS Valiant, which fought at the Battle of Cape Matapan off the coast of Greece.

He was mentioned in despatches for his work operating the searchlight to find enemy vessels in the dark.

How did Europe react to the death of Prince Philip?

He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939, serving in the Second World War. Aged 17 he joined the battleship HMS Valiant, which fought at the Battle of Cape Matapan off the coast of Greece.

He was mentioned in despatches for his work operating the searchlight to find enemy vessels in the dark.

He was then promoted to sub-lieutenant and appointed to the destroyer HMS Wallace, where, in 1942 he became the ship's First Lieutenant at the young age of 21.

It is believed he met then-Princess Elizabeth during a royal visit to Dartmouth Naval College in 1939.

In July 1947 their engagement was announced - on the Queen’s 21st birthday - and four months later, on 20 November, they were married in Westminster Abbey.

It was a big, colourful event that made headlines around the world, in a time of hardship following the war.

The couple celebrated the arrival of their first born, and heir to the throne, Prince Charles in 1948.

Charles was followed by Anne, Andrew, and finally Edward.

Prince Philip developed a reputation for his gaffes over the years but was incredibly active in public life.

He was either patron, president or simply a member of over 780 organisations but probably his finest legacy lies in the Duke of Edinburgh award.

The character-building programme for young people has been exported to more than 140 countries and territories.

In his personal life, he was a passionate horseman and polo player. At 50, he took up carriage driving – and is credited with turning it into a British sport.

Speculation was triggered in May 2017 that the Duke had died when palace staff were told to gather for an announcement however this was just that he was retiring from public life.

In August he carried out his final solo public engagement at a parade to mark the finale of the Royal Marines 1664 Global Challenge.

He carried out a total of 22,219 solo engagements and Buckingham Palace staff have calculated he has undertaken 637 solo overseas visits to 143 countries, delivered 5,496 speeches as well as finding time to write 14 books.

In November 2017 he and the Queen celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.