Prince Philip and Orthodoxy

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HomeschoolDad

HomeschoolDad

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How did HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, justify leaving the Orthodox Church for the Church of England when he married Princess Elizabeth?

Orthodoxy does consider itself to be the One True Church, and isn’t abandoning it seen by Orthodox much as traditional Catholicism views leaving the Catholic Church?

It’s worth noting that both Prince Philip and Prince Charles display some affinity to Orthodoxy, and Charles and Camilla’s wedding also had a penitential aspect, possibly similar to Orthodox second marriages.
 
LawyersGunsAndMoney said:
I feel like this is something only Prince Phillip could answer, and he hasn’t posted in a while. 🤷‍♂️
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Quite obviously. I just wonder if it’s ever been addressed. Are members of other faiths, when they enter the Royal Family, just expected to enter the C of E as well? And what if they don’t want to? I know the monarch has to be C of E, but what of others?
 
I believe that law requiring anyone in line for the British throne to be C of E has been repealed, so in theory a Catholic (or an orthodox Christian, I guess) could ascend to the throne. I believe that’s only within the last ten years or so, though.
 
It’s typical for royals to adopt the religion of the country and family they are marrying into. For example, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, born a Lutheran, converted to Russian Orthodoxy for reasons of state. I believe this may be a similar case.
 
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Here’s the 2013 act of succession for the royal family.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/20/contents/enacted

People do not have to convert if they don’t want to. Prince Philip did, maybe because he/the royal family thought it was more appropriate for the monarch to have a CofE spouse. I think it was likely a much bigger deal then than it would be considered today.

Prince Philip was also educated in the UK, among other countries, and was in the British navy from the age of 18. It may be he identified with the CofE for quite some time, and simply formalised that when he married. Apparently he attended Anglican services during his school days and in the navy. During his engagement with Princess Elizabeth he also became a British citizen and renounced his other royal titles.
 
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HomeschoolDad said:
. Are members of other faiths, when they enter the Royal Family, just expected to enter the C of E as well?
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Katharine , Duchess of Kent , a member of the Royal Family , converted to Catholicism in 1994 .

She was received into the Church by Cardinal Hume .

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I was at Mass with her one Sunday and took this photo of her afterwards . She is a beautiful lady .

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Her son Lord Nicholas Windsor is a practicing Catholic as well, and, I believe, a patron of the Ordinariate.
 
Philip’s family seems mostly to have been not strongly tied, either by blood or long association, to Greece or to Orthodoxy. Basically they were Scandinavian/Germans co-opted to become rulers of Greece.
 
LilyM said:
Philip’s family seems mostly to have been not strongly tied, either by blood or long association, to Greece or to Orthodoxy. Basically they were Scandinavian/Germans co-opted to become rulers of Greece.
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His mother founded a order of Orthodox nuns and is presently buried in an Orthodox monastery, her remains haven’t been transferred there at the request of her son , Prince Philip.
 
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babochka said:
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LilyM:
Philip’s family seems mostly to have been not strongly tied, either by blood or long association, to Greece or to Orthodoxy. Basically they were Scandinavian/Germans co-opted to become rulers of Greece.
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His mother founded a order of Orthodox nuns and is presently buried in an Orthodox monastery, her remains haven’t been transferred there at the request of her son , Prince Philip.
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I am.well aware of her. She seems to be the one and only exception.
 
Yes, you are right she chose to be baptized and confirmed out of respect to the Queen and to be able to celebrate Holy Communion with the rest of the royal family.
 
DeniseNY said:
For anyone interest in the Duke of Edinburgh’s mother:

en.m.wikipedia.org

Princess Alice of Battenberg​

Princess Alice of Battenberg (Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie; 25 February 1885 – 5 December 1969) was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II. A great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, she was born in Windsor Castle and grew up in the United Kingdom, the German Empire, and the Mediterranean. A Hessian princess by birth, she was a member of the Battenberg family, a morganatic branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was congenitally deaf
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Fascinating story. “What can you say of a nun who smokes and plays canasta?” I love it!
 
LilyM said:
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babochka:
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LilyM:
Philip’s family seems mostly to have been not strongly tied, either by blood or long association, to Greece or to Orthodoxy. Basically they were Scandinavian/Germans co-opted to become rulers of Greece.
Click to expand...
His mother founded a order of Orthodox nuns and is presently buried in an Orthodox monastery, her remains haven’t been transferred there at the request of her son , Prince Philip.
Click to expand...
I am.well aware of her. She seems to be the one and only exception.
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Princess Alice was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. At least two of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters embraced Orthodoxy with fervor and they are both canonized saints - Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr and Tsarina Alexandra, Passion-bearer.
 
I Don’t think it was a requirement in order to marry Prince Harry. Previously, I thought it was. I think it was done more to become Anglican like everyone else in the immediate family.
 
babochka said:
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LilyM:
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babochka:
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LilyM:
Philip’s family seems mostly to have been not strongly tied, either by blood or long association, to Greece or to Orthodoxy. Basically they were Scandinavian/Germans co-opted to become rulers of Greece.
Click to expand...
His mother founded a order of Orthodox nuns and is presently buried in an Orthodox monastery, her remains haven’t been transferred there at the request of her son , Prince Philip.
Click to expand...
I am.well aware of her. She seems to be the one and only exception.
Click to expand...
Princess Alice was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. At least two of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters embraced Orthodoxy with fervor and they are both canonized saints - Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr and Tsarina Alexandra, Passion-bearer.
Click to expand...
I was specifically referring, as the topic states, to Greek Orthodoxy, not Russian. And the Greek royal family, not the Russian. Apologies if I was unclear, but Russian history, interesting as it is, is largely irrelevant to Prince Phillip, given most of the Russian royal family had met their ends before he was even born.
 
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