Prince Philip bulldozed Balmoral garden

Britain's Prince Philip once dug out a garden at Balmoral with a bulldozer.

The Duke of Edinburgh was responsible for redesigning the gardens of Queen Elizabeth's private home in Scotland and while he was creating a water garden, he got behind the controls of the machine himself.

As well as using a bulldozer, Philip used to collect penknives and also started building a double-deck hang-glider with a friend at Salem School in south Germany in 1933.

The nuggets of information are some of the 90 facts released by Buckingham Palace ahead of his 90th birthday on June 10, and also reveal he uses a laptop and had an early version of a mobile phone in the 1950s.

As well as releasing the 90 facts, the British royal family will mark Philip's birthday with a service at Windsor Castle's chapel and reception on June 12, two days after his actual birthday.

Buckingham Palace has also created a dedicated website, where well-wishers can peruse photos and leave birthday messages for Philip, who in 2009 became the longest serving consort in British history when he outlived Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III.

On his actual birthday on June 10, Philip will perform a round of official duties at Buckingham Palace.