Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has passed away "peacefully" at the age of 99. The sad news comes less than a month after he returned to Windsor Castle on 16 March, following 28 days in hospital where he underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition. Queen Elizabeth II's companion for 73 years, Prince Philip was a core member of the British royal family and the longest-serving consort of any monarch. The Queen has expressed "deep sorrow" at the loss of her husband who she married in 1947, five years before she was crowned.

However, to marry the Queen and become part of British royalty Prince Philip had to renounce his own right to another throne... Click or scroll through to discover why.

Born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921, Philip's father was Prince Andrew of Greece, and so his decision to marry Princess Elizabeth saw him give up his Greek title, although the royal family had been driven out of Greece not long after his birth. That said, his mother Princess Alice's heritage perhaps made his chosen path seem fitting, as she was the daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and Rhine, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

 

Philip, who spent much of his upbringing at school in Scotland, went on to be a much admired and integral part of the most famous royal family in the world. Always seen walking a respectful few paces behind the sovereign Queen, he only relatively recently gave up his regular royal duties and appearances when he was aged 96.  

But Prince Philip is not the only person to have given up a royal title. Click or scroll through some other famous examples.

If it’s controversial to give up your title now, imagine the stigma facing a royal in the 1920s. But King Carol II of Romania was no stranger to rebelling. Considered the family’s wild child, he married not one but two commoners, the second of which forced him to formally renounce his title. 

It appears King Carol was determined to square his love affairs with his royal duties. After his affair with Magda Lupescu forced him into exile in 1925, he returned to rule his nation in 1930, only to be forced back into exile a decade later, allowing him to finally marry Lupescu in 1947.

Swedish-born "Prince" Lennart Bernadotte forfeited the right of succession for himself and his descendants and was forbidden to use his title after marrying commoner, Karin Nissvandt. The marriage was condemned by his parents and, despite being given a 111-acre island to live on, Lennart and Karin struggled to find happiness in their life outside the royal family. 

The couple spent many years living with their four children on Mainau Island, which Lennart turned into a world-renowned botanical garden. However, with the worsening mental health of Karin, the couple decided to divorce. Lennart later married Sonja Anita Maria Haunz – his paradise island companion until his death, aged 95.

Royal duties were never destined to be King Edward VIII’s cup of English tea. The King gave up the British throne after a mere 11 months, abdicating to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. He infamously told the British public: "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." However, he was allowed to keep the title of His Royal Highness Duke of Windsor following his abdication.

The scandalous abdication and marriage, against the wishes of Parliament and the Church of England, was just the start of things to come for this flighty couple. They lived as celebrities, travelling across pre-war Europe, holding glamorous parties across the globe and openly sympathising with the Nazis. After their deaths, the Duke and Duchess were buried side by side at Windsor Castle.

Now to Asia, and a princess who gave up everything for love. Thai Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was forced to make the ultimate decision between royalty and love when she chose to marry Peter Ladd Jensen, her fellow student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit left her beloved family in Thailand and moved to the US to live with Jensen, giving birth to three children. However, her relationship remained strong with her parents. 

The pair divorced in 1998 and the former princess returned to her homeland with her children. Having lost her royal title and her marriage, Ubol tragically lost her autistic son Bhumi in the deadly 2004 tsunami. With impressive fighting spirit, she set up a foundation for autistic children in memory of her son, and launched her acting career, appearing in two Thai movies.

Despite being the daughter of the Queen of England, Princess Anne was not automatically able to bestow royal titles to her children. Unlike her brothers, Charles, Edward and Andrew, she required the Queen to offer the titles as a gift. However, when the Queen duly made this offer to her grandchildren, Zara and Peter, it was promptly declined.

You might think Zara and Peter would feel a little left out. On the contrary, Zara recently expressed relief that her parents decided not to use the title. Whilst they love their granny and have enjoyed being part of royal events, Zara said it had allowed them to pursue other career options. However, Peter remains 14th in line for the throne, whilst Zara is then behind his two daughters at 17th.

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It’s always wise to know your future spouse’s background, but this is especially true when it could cost you your right to the throne. Johan, who was affectionately known as “Prince Brilliant” for his top degrees in engineering and economics, fell for Dutchwoman Mabel Wisse Smit, who was initially welcomed into the family by Queen Beatrix.

However, it was soon revealed that Mabel had enjoyed a college romance with drug baron and infamous crime lord Klaas Bruinsma. The scandal left the Dutch Prime Minister no choice but to refuse Wisse Smit’s entry to the royal house, forcing Johan to cut his ties to the royal house and his place in the line of succession. The popular prince enjoyed his freedom and his marriage until he was tragically killed in a skiing incident aged 44. Pictured is his mother Queen Beatrix (left).

As required by the Imperial Household Law of 1947, Princess Nori Sayako was forced to officially leave the imperial household after marrying a commoner, urban planner Yoshiki Kuroda. The only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan wasn’t alone in her decision, becoming the sixth female member of the imperial family to marry a commoner.

Once accustomed to royal visits abroad, holidaying with other royal families and enjoying her state allowance, the former Imperial Princess had to quickly get used to life outside the palace. She became a High Priestess, learned to vote, pay taxes, drive and do her own grocery shopping, while still occasionally making royal appearances with her family.

Our next two princesses gave up their royal titles through force rather than choice. Having managed to successfully marry into royalty and enjoy over a decade as wife to Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, scandal engulfed Princess Srirasmi and her family. Serious criminal charges were brought against seven of her family members, including charges for defaming the monarchy.

On her husband’s orders, Princess Srirasmi was stripped of her title, receiving 200 million baht ($5.5m/£4.3m) as a divorce settlement. She has been forced to watch from afar as her former husband became king and her son lived as a prince in the royal household without her. Since the divorce, her parents were also arrested and later admitting to misusing their royal connection.

Princess Cristina, sister of King Felipe VI, married Iñaki Urdangarín in 1997. They were appointed Duke and Duchess of Palma de Mallorca and enjoyed royal life with their four children, until Urdangarin was convicted of embezzling €6 million ($6.6m/£5m) in public funds and using his title of Duke for political corruption. 

With Cristina also charged with tax fraud, becoming the first member of the Spanish royal family to stand trial, the King had no choice but to officially deprive his sister of her titles. She denied all wrongdoing, telling the court that she had no knowledge of her husband’s finances. Urdangarin received a six-year prison sentence and in 2017, Cristina was acquitted of all charges. But by this point her reputation and her position in the royal family were in tatters.

In a move that shook Japanese society, Princess Mako announced she was engaged to fellow university student, Kei Komuro, which would force Mako to give up her royal title. As the 84-year-old Emperor Akihito’s oldest grandchild, Mako’s decision has reignited fierce debate in Japan about whether women should be allowed to retain Imperial status after marriage and rise to the throne.

With fears of the shrinking size of the royal family and the weight of this decision on her shoulders, the couple have postponed their wedding until 2020. There was speculation that this was due to a tabloid splash on Komuro’s mother owing an unpaid debt to his father for her son’s tuition fees, but the couple have dismissed this, saying they just want more time to prepare for marriage more concretely.

Depleting the ranks of the Japanese imperial family even further, Princess Ayako married commoner Kei Moriya, a shipping company employee in 2018. Following in the footsteps of her cousin, Princess Mako, the union once again highlights Japan’s imminent crisis with male-only imperial succession, with a spokesman from the Chief Cabinet Secretary stating “this is an important issue which can’t be postponed”. 

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Luckily, Ayako's parents (her mother Princess Hisako is pictured here with Prince Charles) were said to be pleased about her choice and the pressure and worries about her family’s future have not taken away from the joy of the couple's union. Ayako described how when she first met Mr Moriya she “had so much fun that I forgot about time”, with him replying that he instantly fell in love with her "bright and positive" attitude.

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