Prince Philip's early years were marked by tragedy. When he was still young his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed in an asylum. Philip would rarely see her until adulthood. He was sent to boarding schools in France and Germany, but the rise of the Nazis forced him to continue his education in Scotland. Here, Philip (second from left) is seen at a French school in about 1929.

Philip held royal titles since his birth on June 10, 1921, in Corfu. As the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, he was born the prince of Greece and Denmark — titles he would relinquish upon marrying Princess Elizabeth in 1947. After fleeing unrest in Greece at just 18 months, Philip went on to become a naturalized British citizen.

As the queen's husband of more than 70 years, Prince Philip was the longest-serving British consort, or companion to the sovereign. The couple married on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey, at which point Philip was given the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Just over four years later, Elizabeth ascended to the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, in February 1952.

Philip and Elizabeth had two children, Charles and Anne (pictured in 1953 at Clarence House), before Elizabeth became queen. Two more sons followed in 1960 and 1964, Andrew and Edward. As their first-born son, Prince Charles is next in line for the throne.

Princess Charlotte, pictured here in June 2017 with her mother the Duchess of Cambridge (center), is one of Prince Philip's nine great-grandchildren. He had eight grandchildren, including Charlotte's father, Prince William (right).

Upon his retirement in August 2017, Prince Philip had served as patron or president to some 800 organizations. These reflected his interests in conservation, sport, the military and engineering — and the Cartoon Art Trust, seen here in 2002. He also established The Duke of Edinburgh Award in 1956, which aims to instill confidence and new skills in young people.

As someone who took part in many official ceremonies and photo ops, Prince Philip developed a reputation for being gaffe-prone at best, and insulting at worst. Upon meeting a group of Australian Aborigines in 2002, the prince asked if they were "still throwing spears at each other?" And in 1997, he called then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl "Reichskanzler" — the title used by Adolf Hitler.

Philip's marriage to Queen Elizabeth lasted more than seven decades and despite the inevitable rumors was, to all appearances, remarkably free of scandal. Royal historian Robert Lacey said they were not "a soppy couple," though they shared a passion for horses. Philip, however, was rumored to be less keen on his wife's cherished corgis.

Queen Elizabeth became Britain's monarch on February 6, 1952, the day her father, King George VI, died. Since then she has ruled over the United Kingdom, and has been head of the Commonwealth and the Church of England. Sixty-five years later, the 90-year-old queen makes history by becoming the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) had previously held the record for the longest time on the throne. She became Queen in 1837 and held the office until her death: 63 years and seven months. Spanning several generations, her reign impacted an entire epoch, which was named after her. During the Victorian Era, Britain experienced economic growth and its empire reached the climax of its power.

Queen Elizabeth has already been the oldest monarch in British history since December 20, 2007. This was the first of Victoria's records broken by Elizabeth. Victoria was 81 years, seven months and 29 days old when she died. Queen Elizabeth turned 90 on April 21, 2016. She also became the oldest monarch in the world when Abdullah of Saudi Arabia passed away on January 23, 2015.

Queen Victoria still has one up on Elizabeth, however. On January 1, 1877, she became the first British monarch to hold the title Empress of India, which incorporated India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar at the time. In 1947, India and Pakistan gained their independence from Britain.

Queen Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. They had nine children together. When Albert died in December 1861 at the young age of 42, Victoria fell into depression and largely withdrew from public life.

Queen Elizabeth has visited Germany seven times during her reign. She came for the first time in May 1965. She is pictured here in Bonn with Heinrich Lübke, who was Germany's 70-year-old president at the time. During that first visit, the Queen spent 11 days touring Germany, including stops in the capital, Bonn, divided Berlin, and 16 additional cities.

In June 2015, the Queen visited Germany once again. She's pictured here with her husband, Prince Philip, German President Joachim Gauck and his wife, Daniela Schadt, in front of the presidential residence in Berlin. Queen Elizabeth also went to Frankfurt and paid a visit to the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which was liberated by British soldiers at the end of World War II.

Queen Elizabeth is currently the oldest monarch in the world and now the longest reigning in Britain. But she's not the longest reigning royal in recorded history. That title is held by former King of Swaziland Sobhuza II, who spent 82 years on the throne, from December 10, 1899 to August 21, 1982.