To the rest of the world, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip may have appeared to have a storied marriage that spanned over decades. But what is the real story?
Did Prince Philip Have an Affair?
To the rest of the world, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip may have appeared to have a storied marriage that spanned over seven decades. In England, however, numerous stories cropped up over the years over Prince Philip’s alleged affairs.
Now, are the stories true? Did the royal stray? Or, are they all just simply rumors? Let’s take a closer look…
The Beginning of the Rumors, Pat Kirkwood
The first allegation of an affair with Prince Philip, was also one of the most persistent rumors. Many believed that the Duke of Edinburgh had a fling with a West End star, Pat Kirkwood. What made the alleged affair all the more shocking was that Queen Elizabeth was eight months pregnant with the pair’s first child at the time!
Kirkwood and Philip’s first meeting took place when he went to the actress’s dressing room one night after a show. Later, they met for dinner in a public place and spent the entire night dancing with one another. They met several times after that and there were letters sent between the two as well.
All of these led to the news breaking of an affair, although Kirkwood denied it completely. Due to royal custom, Philip or the royal family didn’t issue any kind of statement. Kirkwood was very vocal about having to deal with all of the rumors by herself.
The Events Aboard the Britannia
Shortly after the birth of their second child, Prince Philip then took off on a trip around the world. Accompanying him was his best friend Michael Parker. Many people believed that the yacht was a site of wild bachelor parties.
To make matters even muddier, Parker’s wife announced that she was filing for divorce, alleging that he had been unfaithful to her while traveling with Philip. This led to many people to tarring Philip with the same brush as well, believing that he had engaged in multiple affairs.
The rumors were so persistent that the royal family issued a rare statement assuring the public that the Queen and the Prince had a strong relationship.
That wasn’t the only instance in which the Prince was linked to wild parties, often of a sexual nature. At one point, he was nicknamed the “Naked Waiter” by the British press. It was due to a belief that the Prince had served guests at a scandalous party, wearing nothing but a small, lacy apron.
A Longtime Acquaintance with Penny Brabourne
Penny Brabourne and the Duke’s friendship began all the way back in the 90s. Despite Philip being 32 years her senior, the pair quickly formed a bond. Penny was often one of the first people invited to parties. She also stayed on royal grounds on numerous occasions.
It was this that led to a lot of people speculating that an affair was taking place between the two. However, there was no proof of this and the Queen was quite fond of Penny as well. She took it upon herself to invite Brabourne to most events.
On top of this, Penny was only one of thirty people to be invited to Prince Philip’s funeral, which signified her status. It is difficult to know whether the pair ever shared anything more than a platonic relationship throughout the years.
Other Alleged Affairs
Just before the Queen and Prince’s 70th anniversary, an explosive tell-all book was released. It was titled My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of Royal Marriage by Ingrid Seward. In it, the author linked Philip to famous women such as Daphne Du Maurier, Merle Oberon, Anna Massey, and more.
In fact, the book alleges that the Duke of Edinburgh had an affair with Susan Barrantes, the mother of his ex-daughter-in-law.
Then, how much truth is there to these rumors? Well, it is difficult to know. For one thing, the women who were named in the affairs never actually confirmed or denied their entanglements with the Duke. And, in many cases, these women had already passed away when some of the stories broke.
However, it is a widely accepted fact that the Prince may have had a few affairs throughout his long marriage to his wife. As for whether the Queen knew about them, this remains unclear as well.
Most people agreed that Queen Elizabeth gave her husband a long leash. Many believed that Prince Philip felt emasculated by his secondary role to his wife. To make up for this, Elizabeth allowed Philip his parties and dalliances without too much question.
Well, Prince Philip was certainly linked to many women during his marriage. If even half the stories are true, it would appear that the Duke of Edinburgh was quite the lothario. Since the royal family is very adept at keeping scandals under wraps, though, it is likely that no one will ever know about what went on behind closed doors – regardless of who was behind them!
Hi there. My name is Jamie Love and I just LOVE writing about dating, hooking up and extra marital affairs. Why you might ask? Well why not! If you’re interested in any of the topics above then you will love my writing. I have been writing for Privateloveaffair.com as well as a few other sites for a bit longer than 2 years now, and I am really loving it. Hope you find my content interesting, toodles!
