Titled “Prince Philip: A Celebration”, the display features over 100 objects from the Duke of Edinburgh’s life.
Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth and a leading figure in the British royal family for almost seven decades, died on April 9 at age 99.
The exhibition had been planned as part of the 100th birthday celebrations for Philip, who would have turned 100 on June 10, curator Sally Goodsir said.
Philip was aware of the exhibition and its contents, she added.
Among the highlights are the coronation robes and coronet worn by Philip to the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth, and his chair of estate, which normally stands beside the queen’s at Buckingham Palace and is displayed at Windsor Castle for the first time.
Going on public display for the first time is a portrait of the prince painted in 2017, the year of his retirement. The painting by Ralph Heimans features Philip wearing the blue and red Windsor uniform, standing in the Grand Corridor at Windsor Castle.
The items range from the personal – such as Queen Victoria’s journal recording the birth of Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, at Windsor Castle in 1885 – to the eccentric, such as a human-sized grasshopper wine cooler presented by former French President Georges Pompidou during his visit to the UK in 1972.
Other items include:
- a Faberge frame with photographs of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth that was a wedding gift;
- a chess set presented by Nelson Mandela during his 1996 visit to the UK; and
- a pair of cowboy boots with the words “Prince” and “Philip” inscribed in gold, gifted to the prince during a visit to Houston, Texas, in 1991.
Also on show are the remains of Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall clock and a fragment of a burnt beam, salvaged by Philip from the debris following a fire that swept through the castle in 1992.
The exhibition will be open to the public until Sept 20.