What if he had never met the queen?

By this time, however, he was already in regular correspondence with “Lilibet” and he was talked about a lot as the future husband.

The life they could have lived together, even after their marriage, even after the birth of Prince Charles in 1948 and Princess Anne in 1950, was illustrated by the two years spent in Malta between 1949 and 1951. Philip received his first command, the Frigate Magpie and the couple were happy. The ship quickly became a reflection of her own character – demanding but excellent as a result.

“He worked us like dogs but treated us like gentlemen,” recalled a note. At the annual regatta, Magpie won six of the 10 awards on offer. Philip was a brilliant sailor, causing observers to catch their breath as he sailed Magpie into the shallow harbor of Monte Carlo in such storms that other ships dared not come out.

By 1951, however, it was clear that his naval career, like his blonde navy beard, was no longer compatible with his royal duties. Asked later about all the paths his life might have taken, it was the one he was forced to give up in his 30th year that he most lamented.

“I would much prefer to stay in the navy, frankly,” he said.

Perhaps the best judge is Sir Terry Lewin, himself considered one of the Navy’s greatest post-war admirals. “Prince Philip was a very talented sailor. Without a doubt, if he hadn’t become what he did, he would have been the first lord of the seas and not me.

Sir Lewin held this role from 1977 – the year, of course, when Philip celebrated the Silver Jubilee. No wonder, as a gift for her 90th birthday, the Queen bestowed on her beloved husband the title of Lord High Admiral.

Even then, he was able to impress the First Sea Lord at the time that it was a title of merit, not ceremony. “He was an extremely talented sailor,” recalls Sir Mark Stanhope, former First Sea Lord. “There is no doubt,” added Sir Stanhope, “that if he had remained in the navy he would have been a very, very strong candidate to rise to the top.”

The career he never had

Prince Philip was a good athlete. Famous Telegraph cricketer EW Swanton rhapsodized his “traits of a pedigree you don’t normally see on English Greens.” An all-rounder, no less than Don Bradman thought he had “the perfect action.”