Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - obituary

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, win respect everywhere on top im steady support for di Queen.

Na post wey no easy for any pesin to occupy, e come be say na man wey don dey use to life as navy wey get im own held strong believe on top plenty subject mata.

Yet na dat very strength na im him get to do im work very well and give dat kian support to im wife inside her posr as Queen.

As man wey be partner to woman wey dey in-charge, Prince Philip no get position wey constitution recognise. But no-one bin dey close to di throne, or dey more important to di Queen dan him be.

Prince Philip of Greece na 10 June 1921 dem born am for Corfu Island. But im birth certificate dey show 28 May 1921, as e be say Greece bin never begin use di Gregorian calendar.

Im papa na Prince Andrew of Greece, one of di man pikin of King George di first of Hellenes.

Im mama, Princess Alice of Battenberg, na di eldest pikin of Prince Louis of Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

After one coup for 1922, one court ban im papa from Greece.

One Britain warship wey im second cousin, King George V, send naim carry di family go France. Most of di time of dat journey, dem put Philip wey be pikin inside crib wey dem design from orange box.

Im be di last born, di only boy for di family with all sisters and na so dem love for im early days.

Di prince start school for France but wen im reach seven years, e go live with im Mountbatten relations for England, where im go one prep school for Surrey.

By dis time im mama don show sign of one sickness; schizophrenia and dem put her far away. Na just small di young prince go fit see or tok with her.

For 1933, dem send am go Schule Schloss Salem for southern Germany, wey Kurt Hahn, one of di educational pioneer, dey operate. But afta some months, Hahn, wey be Jew pesin, rum comot by force to avod di Nazi killi-killi.

Where dem begin call am inside assignment posting

Hahn waka go Scotland where im form Gordonstoun school, wey di prince transfer go after just two terms inside Germany.

Gordonstoun wey be school wey sabi teach self-defence, na di correct environment for small boy wey don separate from im mama and papa, wey dey feel like say him dey on im own.

With war wey dey come, Prince Philip decide to train to be military pesin. Im bin wan join di Royal Air Force but im mama family get tradition to join seafaring business and him become cadet for di Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

For there dem give am assignment to escort di two young princess dem, Elizabeth and Margaret, while King George di sixth and Queen Elizabeth visit to inspect di college.

According to pipo wey carry eye see, Prince Philip serere with di assignment. But di meeting make di 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth to notice who im be.

Philip quick quick prove himself as pesin wey get go become sumtin in future, e carry first for im class when im pass out for January 1940 and im carry eye see military action for di first time for di Indian Ocean.

Dem transfer am to battleship HMS Valiant wey dey move on top Mediterranean, where dem begin call am inside assignment posting for di im role for di Battle of Cape Matapan for 1941.

As di officer in charge of di ship searchlight, im play important role for dis particular night action.

"I find another ship and it burn di middle part, wey be say e disappear korokoro instanta under one round of 15in bullet dem wey fire close."

By October 1942, im become di youngest first lieutenants inside di Royal Navy, e serve on top di destroyer ship HMS Wallace.

Engagement

Throughout dis period im and di young Princess Elizabeth bin dey write letters send each oda, and im even get invite to stay with di Royal Family for some occasions.

Na one of afta dis visit dem, for 1943 Christmas, na im Elizabeth put one foto of Philip, inside navy uniform, on top her dressing table.

Dia relationship grow in peace, although e get pipo wey no want make di two of dem flow togda - one of dem describbe Prince Philip as "rough and pesin wey no get manners".

But di young princess bin love her bobo wella and, around middle of 1946, her bobo ask di King permission to marry im daughter.

As e be, before dem fit announce engagement, di prince need to belong to new kontri and get new family name. Im come wash im title im be collect from Greece comot to become citizen of Britain and e come begin ansa im mama English name, Mountbatten.

Di day before di marriage ceremony, King George di sixth give Philip title of His Royal Highness and on di morning of di wedding day dem make am Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich.

Di wedding take place inside Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Na event wey Winston Churchill call "flash of colour" inside Britain afta di war.

Di duke return to im navy career and dem post am to Malta where, for a while at least, di couple fit live life of any odar family of pipo wey dey serve for navy.

Dia son Prince Charles na for Buckingham Palace dem born am for 1948, and dia girl pikin, Princess Anne, land 1950.

On 2 September 1950 im achieve di ambition wey every navy officer get when dem appoint am commander of sloop HMS Magpie.

But im navy career wan end. As bodi of George di sixth no well mean say di king girl pikin go begin do more royal duties and need her husband to say by her side.

Philip come take leave from di Royal Navy for July 1951. Im no ever return back to active role.

Di duke no regret say im no return but im later tok sorry say im no fit continue im navy work.

Even sef, im mates tok say im for fit on im own merit, rise to become First Sea Lord.

For 1952, di royal husband and wife travel go one Commonwealth waka wey di King and Queen don plan to do.

E begin make new ideas

Na while dem dey stay for one game lodge for Kenya for February naim dem hear say di King don die. Im be suffer coronary thrombosis sickness- weyy be heart blood clot wey fit kill.

Na di prince ear di tori land to tell im wife say na she don become di Queen.

One friend later describe Prince Philip dey look as if "half di world" don fall on top am.

As dis don already stop im navy work, im come create one new role for himself, and Elizabeth rise to seat on di throne raise di whole question of wetin dat role go be.

As di Coronation near, one Royal Warrant officer announce say Prince Philip na di next person dem go recognise after di Queen on all occasions, yet im di law now recognize im position.

Di duke bin get plenty ideas about how best to make things with new ways and fine tune di ways of di throne but im become weak on top opposition from some of di palace old guard.

Di tins wey pain wella

Im put some of im energy for social life. Him and im padi padi group go meet every week for one restaurant inside Soho, central London.

Na so dem go gist sotey, sometimes dem go eat and visit to nightclubs even sef foto go show am with pipo wey dey rock life with am.

Di duke bin get free hand to take decision for im family but im no win di fight to decide which name im pikin dem carry.

Di Queen decision say di family go carry di name of Windsor, rather than im own family name wey be Mountbatten become bitter blow.

"I be di only man inside di kontri wey dem no allow to give im name to im pikin dem," im bin complain to friends. "I be nothing but one bloody amoeba."

According to Jonathan Dimbleby, di pesin wey write Prince Charles life story say dem make am cry well when im be youth because of how di public dey take caution am, even di relationship between him and im papa no ever dey easy.

Philip insist say Prince Charles go im old school, Gordonstoun, with di belief say di wey tins dey dat school go help im pikin shy nature.

One of Prince Philip main concerns na for di welfare of young people, and for 1956 that interest make am launch di Duke of Edinburgh's Award wey don dey successful.

For di past years e help reach six million pipo from 15 to 25-year-olds all ova di world including some wey bodi no complete to challenge demsef on top some outdoor activities to promote teamwork, resourcefulness and a respect for nature.

"If you fit get young people to succeed on top any area of activity," im tell di BBC, "say wetin be success go spread enter a lot of oda."

Throughout im life di duke continue to put plenty time for di award.

'Moral sense'

Im campaign for animal and environment right, although im decision to shoot one tiger wen travel go India for 1961 provoke pipo.

Wen di foto appear for public, e show di tiger like sumtin wey pesin win, haa dat one even make matas worse.

However, im influence and energy to push World Wildlife Fund mata wey turn to World Wide Fund for Nature and im become natural choice as di first president.

For many year waka travel round di world dat time when im be president of World Wildlife Fund, dey preach for people to keep awa environment di way nature create am.

Tensions

Di thing wey don tey wey dem go take remember am wella na Di Duke of Edinburg award to help encourage young people to realise dia potential.

Prince Philip also get interest inside industry mata, e dey visit factories and e even bbecome patron for Industrial Society, now dem know dem as di Work Foundation.

Di tension with im first son start again when Jonathan Dimbleby write about di life story of Prince Charles.

Di Duke of Edinburgh, according to wetin pipo talk, push Charles to marry Lady Diana Spencer.

Pilgrimage

Prince Philip no happy at all say di marriage of three of im four pikin dem - Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, as well as Prince Charles.

But im dey always no dey talk im personal matas, im even tell one newspaper for 1994 say im neva do am before and no ben then im go start am.

As im dey old, e begin slow down di way im dey rock life. E continue to travel wella, both for di World Wide Fund for Nature and with di Queen on official visit abroad.

Warm tones

Im also get pitty for former prisoners of Japan wey find am hard to forgive wetin dem do dem.

Di style im dey use tok tins hoha reduce small afta di public begin para for di way di Royal Family on top di way Diana, Princess of Wales take die.

For 2007 letters between di duke and di princess show for public just to clear doubt say e no dey harsh to im pikin wife.

Di letters dem call Dear Pa letters, show say im really support Diana wella, e show for di way she take write to him.

Mohamed Al Fayed, di father of Dians last guy, Dodi, even suggest for investigation on top her her death say na Prince Philip order say make dem kill her - one accuse wey court reject.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, bin bin get mind of im own and dey independent man wey find himself inside di centre of British society.

'No-nonsense approach'

Im na natural leader, Philip still be imself with im own style wey im dey take run im parole and im set record wey no bodi go drag for di life of di country.

"I just do wetin I think be my best," once im bin tell BBC. "I no fit just change my whole way wen I dey do things, I no fit change my interests or di way I react to things. Dat na just my style."

Prime Minister David Cameron even confam dis one when e salute di duke di night before im 90th birthday for June 2011.

"Im dey always do things im own way, with hoha pattern, no-nonsense approach wey British people, I believe, dem too like am."

Philip bin dey successful to use im position to contribute life for Britain and im play im part to help di throne for United Kingdom to understand di social life of pipo dey change as years dey go.

But im greatest achievement na di wey im dey steady and give correct strength on top im support for di Queen inside dis plenty years wey she don don sidon on top di throne.

Im believe say im work na, as im tell di pesin wey write im life story tok "to ensure say di Queen fit rule".

For one speech she tok wen dem celebrate him and im wife 50 years wedding anniversary, di Queen hail her husband, as di pesin wey don tey pass as husband and partner of di ruling king or queen throughiut British history.

"Him na pesin no fit just describe with sweet words, but to make am simple, him na my strength and stay all dis years. And I, and im whole family, and dis and many oda countries, owe am debt pass wetin him go ever claim or wetin we go ever fit know."