Prince Philip had his very own shade of green and no one outside
the Royal Family was really aware of it until after he had
died.
The colour, called Edinburgh Green, made headlines when Queen
Elizabeth II wore it for a memorial service in honour of her
husband, held several months after his death.
As royalty from around the world arrived at Westminster Abbey
for the service, held on March 29 2022, many were in black, the
traditional colour of mourning. However, a noticeable number were
in a dark green shade and that’s when Philip’s own colours became
common knowledge.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was dressed in a deep green coat
with matching hat. Her daughter in law, now Queen Camilla, also
wore the shade as did Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s daughter,
Princess Anne.
The shade is also known as ‘Edinburgh Green’. Prince Philip’s
official livery was dark green and his page at the Coronation wore
the shade. Dark green is also one of the colours of half mourning
and, as was the case at his memorial, it is trimmed with black to
denote grief.
The Royal Family’s official
website notes that ‘Edinburgh Green’ is a dark shade and was
used on private liveries for the Duke.
Queen Elizabeth II chose a dark green coat and hat, both trimmed
with black, for this special Service of Thanksgiving which took
place just days ahead of the first anniversary of Prince Philip’s
death. The prince passed away on April 9 2021 at Windsor Castle at
the age of 99. His funeral was held at a time of social distancing
during the coronavirus pandemic and only thirty people could
attend. The memorial service allowed many more to pay tribute.
Queen Letizia also chose
Edinburgh green for the memorial service
(Casa de S.M. el Rey)
Among them were royalty from around the world. Princess Beatrix
of the Netherlands, who reigned as queen from 1980 until 2013, also
wore Edinburgh green trimmed with black. Queen Letizia of Spain,
whose husband King Felipe was related to Prince Philip through
their shared Greek royal ancestry, also wore Edinburgh green to the
service.
There was another special nod to Prince Philip in the outfit
worn at this memorial service by Queen Camilla. Her outfit was the
one she wore when she took over as Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles
from Prince Philip in what would be his final public engagement.
Queen Camilla also wore her Rifles brooch as a tribute.
Other members of the Royal Family wore shades traditionally
associated with mourning or half mourning clothes at the memorial.
Kate, now Princess of Wales, chose a black dress with white spots
and a black hat with white trim, again keeping to mourning
protocols.
The shade of Edinburgh green is now much better known and one
royal who has worn it often in the years since is Philip’s daughter
in law, Sophie. She had adopted the shade much more often since her
husband, Prince Edward, became Duke of Edinburgh.