Buckingham Palace Once Addressed Prince Philip’s Cheating Rumors
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II have been together for over 70 years, much longer than many of us have been alive. Though they’ve remained a solid force in the British royal family, their relationship has not been perfect.
In the early years of their marriage, the prince had trouble taking on a help-mate role. Also, their marriage was riddled with rumors of infidelity.
At one point, the gossip got so out of hand that Buckingham Place issued a statement addressing it.
How long have Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip been married?
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip met when they were just teenagers and were quickly smitten with one another. Throughout their teen years, the pair wrote love letters to one another, and after some convincing, due to the prince’s sordid family history, they were permitted to marry when the queen turned 21. They have been by each other’s side ever since, having four children and standing at the center of the royal family.
During their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 1997, Prince Philip said of their relationship “I think the main lesson we have learnt is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient in any happy marriage… You can take it from me; the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.”
Has Prince Philip ever cheated Queen Elizabeth II?
It’s no secret that Prince Philip had some trouble adjusting to Queen Elizabeth’s unexpected ascension to the throne following her father’s untimely death in 1952. It upended the prince’s own career ambition with the Navy and forced him to take a backseat role in a sexist and patriarchal society.
As a result, the Duke of Edinburgh lashed out. In his book, Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II, author Philip Eade writes that the duke was known as “The Naked Waiter.” It was rumored that he enjoyed “rip-roaring stag parties.” Allegedly Prince Philip once served dinner to some guests wearing only a mask and a tiny lace apron.
Prince Philip was also thought to be overly close to stage performer Patricia Kirkwood and Sacha Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn. Hamilton further fueled rumors about herself and the prince. “It’s complicated and at the same time quite simple,” she told reporters via Icons. “[Philip] needs a playmate and someone to share his intellectual pursuits.”
Buckingham Palace once address Prince Philip’s cheating rumors
During her tenure on the throne, Queen Elizabeth has adhered to the royal’s stiff upper lip policy never to complain or explain. However, in the 1950s, when the cheating rumors about Prince Philip continued to pick up more speed, Buckingham Palace felt compelled to issue a statement denouncing them.
Their statement simply called them, “quite untrue.” Though the prince has never directly addressed the sordid rumors about his indiscretions in the media, those closest to him have offered a fair amount of insight.
“Privately, he will say, ‘How could I?’” Mike Parker, the duke’s first Private Secretary told The Telegraph in 2004. “‘I’ve had a detective in my company, night and day, since 1947.’”
