When his father died in 1666, his mother and his uncle Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1654–1717) became guardian for him and his younger brother Johann Reinhard III.

In early 1684, they were in Milan, from there they went to see the carnival in Venice, followed by a trip to Rome (with audiences with Pope Innocent XII and queen Christina of Sweden), then to Naples, Florence, Modena, Parma and Mantua.

His younger brother Johann Reinhard III was put on the throne of Hanau-Lichtenberg, which had also been ruined by Friedrich Casimir.

In 1692, Philipp Reinhard was elected as the permanent director of the Wetterau Association of Imperial Counts.

In 1704, Philipp Reinhard was made a member of the Order of the Black Eagle by King Friedrich I of Prussia.

In the older literature it is repeatedly claimed that Philipp Reinhard would have obtained the rank of Prince.

It has been documented that Philipp Reinhard spent time and expenses to obtain such a title and that he never used one, which would have been a very strange behaviour if he had received it.

In 1701, Philipp Reinhard began the construction of Philippsruhe Castle, which was named after him, in the village of Kesselstadt, to the west of Hanau, just outside the city gate.

17 February] 1689, Philipp Reinhard married his cousin, Countess Palatine Magdalena Claudia (born: 16 September 1668; died 28 November 1704), the daughter of Duke Christian II of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (born: 22 June 1637; died 26 April 1717).

He then broke off the engagement and bought her off with money[3] On 26 December 1705, Philipp Reinhard married Charlotte Wilhelmine (born: 14 June  [O.S.

His younger brother Johann Reinhard III, who had until then ruled the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg, inherited Hanau-Münzenberg.