The first photograph taken of the Duke of Edinburgh has been released to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition marking his 90th year.
In the sepia print Prince Philip is a new-born baby in the arms of his mother Alice of Greece – an image which dates from soon after he was born on June 10, 1921 on Corfu.
It will form part of the display which will chronicle his life, interests and passions through objects, photographs, paintings and memorabilia.
Two other prints from the Duke’s early years, which have never been on display, are also released ahead of the exhibition which opens today at Windsor Castle.
In a picture taken in Athens in 1922, a baby Philip, dressed in a long white gown, is almost at the walking stage and is holding himself up on a table.
The image was captured shortly before the Duke’s family went into exile following a military coup in Greece which overthrew Philip’s uncle King Constantine I.
George V ordered the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Calypso to evacuate the family and Philip was carried to safety in a cot made from an orange box in December 1922, aged just 18 months.
In the final image Philip, smartly dressed in a suit with a shirt and tie, is shown cross-armed for his school photograph at Cheam Prep School in 1933. The picture is signed by the Duke.
Many of the exhibition items, like the three unseen pictures, come from the Duke’s own personal collection and tell the story of his childhood and naval career, marriage to the Queen and family life, his work in support of the Queen and his own pursuits as patron or president of around 800 organisations.
Highlights of the display include a gold bracelet decorated with jewels designed by Philip for the Queen in 1952, a triptych painted by artist David Poole in 1986 and an unusual steel, brass and porcelain wine bottle cooler in the shape of a large grasshopper, given as a present by President Pompidou of France.
The exhibition will run for much of the year and will be a focal point for those wanting to know more about the man.
The Duke was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark and is a great great grandson of Queen Victoria, but he later became a naturalised British subject.
He served as an officer in the Royal Navy during World War II and saw action on the warship HMS Valiant during the Battle of Matapan in 1941. He was mentioned in despatches for his role operating a searchlight.
The exhibition will include his account of the naval engagement written in his Midshipman’s Log.
The Duke married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947. When her father George VI died in 1952, their world changed as she became Queen. Since then he has supported the Queen on all her Commonwealth tours and state visits but has also made more than 600 trips alone to 143 countries.
On January 1, 1957 he became the first member of the Royal Family to cross the Antarctic Circle. The exhibition includes a linocut certificate made by the Duke and the artist Edward Seago to commemorate the event.
Nature pictures that show the Duke’s interest in photography and wildlife will also be featured along with items reflecting his passion for sport – polo, horse carriage driving, sailing and cricket.
One of his best known achievements is the establishment in 1956 of his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme to promote the personal development of young people.
The Award has attracted more than six million participants in more than 125 countries.
In 1986 the Earl of Wessex received the Gold Award from his father the Duke, and Edward’s record book, pin and certificate are featured in the exhibition.
The Duke’s interests in art and design will also be represented. His atmospheric oil painting of Duart Castle on the Sound of Mull in the Western Isles will be among the exhibits.
The exhibition will run from today until January 22, 2012.