Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who had been married for greater than 70 years, can boast of the longest-enduring marriage in British royal historical past. Their love story, which first started when a 13-year-old Elizabeth developed a crush on her older third cousin, has lasted via Elizabeth’s duties as queen, in addition to Philip’s want to regulate to life as her consort. Whether coping with pushy royal courtiers, dynastic identify squabbles or press scrutiny and scandal, they’ve managed to stay a united entrance.
Elizabeth was smitten with Philip since she was a teen
Princess Elizabeth encountered Prince Philip of Greece, her third cousin, a few occasions earlier than love struck. They each attended the 1934 marriage of his cousin to Elizabeth’s uncle, and had been current for the coronation of Elizabeth’s father, George VI, in 1937. But it wasn’t till July 1939 {that a} 13-year-old Elizabeth was obsessed on an 18-year-old Philip, who was then a naval cadet.
While the royal household was visiting the Royal Naval College, Philip was one of many few wholesome cadets amidst an outbreak of mumps and chickenpox. He was chosen to maintain Elizabeth and her youthful sister, Princess Margaret, firm (doubtless attributable to some behind-the-scenes pushing from his uncle Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten). According to Marion Crawford, governess to the 2 princesses, Philip impressed Elizabeth together with his capacity to leap over tennis nets.
The subsequent day Philip joined the royal household on their yacht, Victoria and Albert, for lunch. A younger Elizabeth continued to admire him as he ate copious quantities of shrimp, adopted by a banana break up. Crawford would relate that Elizabeth could not take her eyes off Philip, although at that time the older teen did not reciprocate her emotions.
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The pair saved their engagement a secret for a yr
Elizabeth and Philip wrote to one another after World War II broke out (Philip served within the British Royal Navy). When they met at Windsor Castle for Christmas in 1943, Philip acquired to see the long run queen carry out in a pantomime of Aladdin, and observers witnessed indicators of a blossoming romance. Elizabeth saved his photograph on her mantel, whereas Philip carried her image with him through the battle.
The romance continued in peacetime, with outings equivalent to visits to the theater. In 1946 Philip requested Elizabeth to marry him; she agreed with out even in search of her mother and father’ permission. Her father, understanding his daughter’s emotions however nervous about her age, requested them to attend a yr till Elizabeth was 21 earlier than publicly saying the engagement.
Courtiers across the royal household had been much less welcoming. Though Philip was a royal who, like Elizabeth, may declare Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother, his life held extra tough spots than Elizabeth’s. A child when his household had been exiled from Greece, he was seen as overseas, poor and never displaying correct deference to the British royal household. But Elizabeth was decided to marry the person she needed, and her household had come to understand her fiancé. Their engagement was introduced on July 9, 1947.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II throughout their honeymoon at Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire
Photo: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
Philip had to surrender his titles to be able to marry Elizabeth
Before getting married, Philip gave up his titles and place within the line of succession to the Greek throne. He was naturalized as a British citizen and have become Philip Mountbatten (he’d used no surname as a prince). He was additionally confirmed within the Church of England. And he agreed to not invite his sisters to the marriage (wartime reminiscences had been nonetheless contemporary and all three had been married to Germans).
Thanks to his father-in-law George VI, on his wedding ceremony day of November 20, 1947, Philip acquired the titles Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. His wedding ceremony day was additionally the day he gave up smoking, a call he made as a result of Elizabeth abhorred her father’s cigarette habit.
On her honeymoon, Elizabeth wrote to her mother and father that she and her new husband “behave as though we had belonged to each other for years! Philip is an angel.” In 1949, Elizabeth joined Philip in Malta after he was named second-in-command of a destroyer (their new child, Prince Charles, remained in England with a nanny and his grandparents).
Philip ‘tried to make the perfect of it’ when Elizabeth was topped sooner than anticipated
Philip was subsequent given command of his personal ship, however in 1951 he went on go away from the Navy. His father-in-law’s well being was declining and assist was required with royal obligations. In 1952, Elizabeth’s father died and she or he grew to become Queen Elizabeth II. This change got here sooner than anticipated, as George VI was simply 56 when he handed away.
Ascending to the throne meant that Elizabeth took on royal duties she’d spent years getting ready for. But Philip needed to alter to being his spouse’s consort, equivalent to needing to stroll just a few steps behind her in public. He later admitted, “I thought I was going to have a career in the Navy, but it became obvious there was no hope.… There was no choice. It just happened. You have to make compromises. That’s life. I accepted it. I tried to make the best of it.”
After Elizabeth grew to become queen, Philip’s uncle Dickie Mountbatten declared, “The House of Mountbatten now reigns.” Yet Elizabeth’s grandmother, Queen Mary, and Winston Churchill, then the prime minister, didn’t agree. They spoke to the brand new monarch, who decreed that she and her descendants would rule because the House of Windsor. An upset Philip stated to associates, “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children. I am nothing but a bloody amoeba.”
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip revisit Broadlands to mark their 60th wedding ceremony anniversary on November 20, 2007
Photo: Tim Graham/Getty Images
Rumors circulated that Philip was untrue
Some of Philip’s actions, like his gentleman’s lunch membership and the excursions he took within the 1950s on the royal yacht Britannia, led to speculation about possible infidelities. In 1957, The Baltimore Sun carried a story that said he was “romantically involved with an unnamed woman whom he met on a regular basis in the West End apartment of a society photographer.” The palace followed this report with a denial: “It is quite untrue that there is any rift between the queen and the Duke.” The Crown suggests Philip was concerned with a Russian ballerina, however there’s little proof to assist this.
Philip as soon as addressed the logistics of his conducting affairs, asking, “How could I? I’ve had a detective in my company, night and day, since 1947.” But Sarah Bradford wrote in her biography of Elizabeth: “Since the alleged ‘party girl’ affair in the mid-1950s, Philip has learned to carry on his flirtations and relationships in circles rich and grand enough to provide protection from the paparazzi and the tabloids.”
Despite the shut consideration paid to the royal household, no infidelity on Philip’s part has ever been confirmed. However, certainty about Philip’s faithfulness appears inconceivable to pin down, one thing he acknowledges. According to a royal cousin, Philip as soon as stated, “The way the press related it, I had affairs with all these women. I might as well have and bloody enjoyed it.”
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II depart a Service of Commemoration for troops who had been stationed in Afghanistan on March 13, 2015, in London, England
Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Elizabeth calls Philip ‘my energy’
In 1957, Elizabeth made her husband a Prince of the United Kingdom. And in 1960, she acknowledged his ongoing unhappiness about their kids not taking his identify by deciding that their descendants may use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. However, her compromise solely went up to now, because the royal household would proceed to be generally known as the House and Family of Windsor.
Lord Charteris, non-public secretary to the queen, as soon as stated, “Prince Philip is the only man in the world who treats the queen simply as another human being. He’s the only man who can. Strange as it may seem, I believe she values that.” It’s one cause why their love story resulted in such a long-lasting relationship.
While celebrating their 50 years of marriage in 1997, Elizabeth lauded Philip: “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”
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