Prince Philip was deeply affected by the tragic death of his beloved sister, Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, in a plane crash nearly 90 years ago. Cecilie, who was eight months pregnant at the time, perished in the accident along with six others. She was Philip’s “favorite sister” and the third child of Princess Alice of Battenberg and Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
Cecilie had married Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, and they had three children together. In November 1937, they were traveling to the UK for a family wedding when their aircraft crashed in dense fog near Ostend, claiming the lives of Cecilie, her husband, their two young sons, and others on board.
The remains of an infant, believed to be prematurely delivered during the crash, were found near Cecilie’s body. At just 16 years old, Philip was profoundly affected by his sister’s tragic death. He later recalled the moment when he learned of the crash as one of the most painful experiences of his life.
Cecilie and her family were buried in Darmstadt, where funeral photos showed Philip standing among mourning relatives dressed in Nazi uniforms. Their surviving daughter, Johanna, was adopted by relatives but tragically succumbed to meningitis two years later.
The plane crash was depicted in the hit series “The Crown,” which showed a fictionalized account of Philip’s school days and the events leading up to Cecilie’s death. Philip was reportedly unhappy with how the tragedy was portrayed in the series but chose not to take further action.
Despite the passage of time, Prince Philip carried the memory of his sister’s death with him, a heartbreaking reminder of the deep loss he experienced at a young age.
