Prince William says he admired grandfather Prince Philip for ‘giving up career’ for the queen

Royal family members speak candidly about the Duke of Edinburgh in a BBC documentary

(PA)

The Duke of Cambridge has revealed how much he “admired” the Duke of Edinburgh for “giving up his career” when he married the Queen.

Speaking in an interview recorded for Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers , which airs on BBC One on Wednesday, Prince William reflected on his grandfather’s career in the Royal Navy.

“One of the things I do admire him for is that he gave up a very successful military career to be the Queen’s consort and support her and to go into service and duty in a different way,” he said.

“It was very much a ‘man’s world’ back then so for a man to give up his career to support a woman –albeit a queen – was still quite a big step.”

Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy aged 18 in 1939. During the Second World War, he served with distinction in the British Mediterranean and Pacific fleets.

He left active military service when Queen Elizabeth was coronated in 1952.

Philip went on to become the longest-serving British royal consort until he died aged 99 in April this year.

The one-off documentary was originally commissioned to celebrate the royal’s 100th birthday, but it now features more interviews filmed both before and after the royal’s death.

Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Zara Tindall also give interviews. The Queen did not feature as a contributor on the show.

Video footage from the Queen’s private cine-film collection was also used for the documentary, including an old clip of her running after her husband and children as they ride tricycles.

Another video showed the duke rowing a boat with his son Prince Edward and playing beside a lake.

Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One