Moment when Prince Philip's 'world collapsed' uncovered

While Prince Philip seemingly had an easy tenure during his time in the royal family, he had experienced a moment where he saw his "world collapse".

In a documentary uncovering the life of the late Duke of Edinburgh, it revealed that it was the aftermath of the Queen's father's, King George VI, death that saw his world fall apart.

At the time, his navy career was his greatest passion as he progressed quickly in his career but after tragedy struck, Philip had to make a choice as the Queen was gearing up to take the throne. 

Martin Palmer, a former religious adviser to Philip, told the documentary: "When they heard the news in 1952 that the King had died, I think his world collapsed.

"His natural place of service in the Navy was no longer possible, and I think it was a huge shock."

Former Conservative MP and author Gyles Brandreth added: "It happened sooner than anyone might have hoped, because the old King, George VI, died at a much earlier age than anyone would have wished for."

The documentary showed Philip’s own perspective of the tragedy.

"The thing is, both the Queen and I got pitchforked into a situation well before our time, well before our age group," he said. 

"And, at 30, that was obviously a pretty intense experience."