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Before he married the future Queen Elizabeth in 1947, Philip, then a prince of the Greek royal family. served as an officer in Britain’s Royal Navy during World War II and took part in the battles of Cape Matapan and Crete in 1941.

In 1941, he was honored for his service during the battle of Cape Matapan off the coast of Greece, when his control of searchlights aboard the HMS Valiant allowed the battleship to pinpoint enemy vessels in the dark.

He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 and won mentions during the war for his service aboard the battleship HMS Valiant at Cape Matapan, on Greece’s Peloponnesian peninsula.

He was in the Battle of Crete and mentioned in dispatches for his skill controlling the Valiant's searchlights during the Battle of Cape Matapan, which played a major role in the destruction of the Italian fleet.

On completion of his training, the duke served in the Mediterranean, North Sea and Pacific, and was mentioned in dispatches for bravery and enterprise during the battle of Cape Matapan in Greece.