The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in hundreds of charities.
In his lifetime, Prince Philip supported a number of charities including the British Heart Foundation, the World Wildlife Federation and Book Aid.
As the Queen’s consort, it was his role to support his wife, and he thrived in this position.
Between them they backed more than 1,000 charitable institutions as patrons and members.
Most famously he created the Duke of Edinburgh Award – a scheme for young people to develop life skills through a programme of activities and volunteering.
In 2017 he stepped down from playing an active role in any organisations, when he retired from royal duties.
At one of Philip’s last engagements, the mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah said: “I’m sorry to hear you’re standing down.”
To which the duke replied: “Well, I can’t stand up much.”
But for most of his life, Philip was occupied with public duties.
This meant hosting charity events and private military functions as well as entertaining world leaders.
During his royal career he tallied more than 22,000 solo appearances.
His philanthropism was not confined to the UK, and he stood behind a wide variety of projects across the commonwealth and worldwide.
He cared deeply about the issue of wildlife preservation, having set up the WWF in 1961, alongside Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.
Following his distinguished naval career, Philip supported a number of bodies with ties to the armed forces including The Association of Royal Navy Officers, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Equestrian Association, the Army Cadet Force and the Army Officers’ Boxing Club.
His charitable endeavours also reflected his keenness for sport through his involvement with many prestigious yacht and polo clubs.
His charity work also extended to some more unusual organisations
The Cartoon Museum and Accrington Camera Club certainly fall into this category along with the Royal Guild of St Sebastian in Bruges, an Ancient Flemish order of archers, and a debating club called The Speculative Society.
For all his gaffes and at times outdated comments, Prince Philip should also be remembered for his humanitarian efforts.
Over many decades, he helped a huge range of communities across the world with disparate but worthy aims to thrive.
To check out the rest of SWL’s Prince Philip coverage, click here.
Featured image credit: Carfax2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
