Philip and the Queen have been married for 72 years, a staggering amount of time which has made the Duke of Edinburgh the longest serving royal consort in British history. The pair’s dedication to the crown has been recognised over the years, with many royal fans noting they are the backbone of the Royal Family. They spent lockdown together in Windsor Castle, which sources say brought them closer together, especially as both often had to prioritise their royal duties above their marriage.
However, their relationship has at times been plagued by outrageous allegations of infidelity directed at Philip.
Royal expert Gyles Brandreth investigated the reports they “lead very separate lives” and that Philip has taken many lovers in an attempt to find the truth.
The author explained: “Getting an insight into Philip’s feelings about his relationship with Elizabeth is not easy.
“Getting an insight into her feelings about him is much more straightforward.
“The Queen is happy for you to know that, in her heart and in her way, she has been committed to Prince Philip from the age of 13.”
Philip and Elizabeth — then a princess — met properly when she was 13 and he was 18.
They wrote to each other often while Philip was away during World War 2 and wed shortly after his return to the UK, in 1947.
Mike Parker, Philip’s first Private Secretary, claimed: “He was completely in love with her, absolutely.”
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However, when reports of Philip meeting up with an unnamed woman on a regular basis in a West End apartment emerged just a few years after the Queen’s ascension, the couple were deeply affected.
Mr Parker told Mr Brandreth: “The Duke was incandescent.
“He was very, very angry. And deeply hurt.”
The Queen showed her own feelings towards the report by breaking her own protocol and issuing a rare statement of denial, which claimed that “it is quite untrue that there is any rift between the Queen and the Duke”.
Still, these reports continued for years.
Philip is “sensitive” to his reputation as a ladies’ man, according to Mr Brandreth.
He said: “I know because I have discussed it with him. Publicly, he brushes it off. Privately, he broods. He knows what people say.”
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Mr Brandreth noted that Philip “disapproved” of his son Prince Charles’ adultery with Camilla Parker Bowles during his marriage to Princess Diana.
The royal author then commented: “Honour, duty and example count with [Philip]. Is he a hypocrite? Is he a philanderer?”
The author claimed that Philip always addressed the latest claims of his adultery by remaining silent but “incensed”.
Writing in The Telegraph in 2004, Mr Brandreth that Philip questioned how these reports emerge when there is little evidence to support the claims.
The royal author alleged: “Privately, he will say, ‘How could I?
“‘I’ve had a detective in my company, night and day, since 1947.’”
Mr Parker also told the author: “Philip has been 100 percent faithful to the Queen. No ifs, no buts.
“Take it from me, I know.”
The Queen’s former private secretary Lord Charteris also added: “I am aware what people say, and have said for years, but I know of no evidence of any kind, no evidence at all, and if there were any, I rather think I would.”
Yet, Mr Brandreth claimed Philip once turned to his cousin Patricia Mountbatten and said that when he sees the reports, “I think I might as well have done it”, as the allegations stretched across royal spheres all over the world.
Still, Countess Mountbatten argued: “He has been completely faithful to the Queen. I’m sure of it, completely and utterly sure.
“Supporting the Queen has been his life.”
