Queen Elizabeth II Almost Ended Her Marriage to Prince Philip ’63 Times,’ According to Documentary
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip‘s love story is one for the ages as they’ve been married for more than 70 years. But even this royal couple has had their ups and downs. And now a documentary is claiming that the queen almost ended her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh dozens of times.
Read on to find out why.
Claims that Queen Elizabeth was on brink of ending marriage ’63 times’
The Express noted that claims about the monarch nearly ending her marriage to the prince “63 times” over his “bachelor-like” lifestyle were made in the documentary titled La Grande Storia from Italian broadcaster Rai. The program’s narrator, Riccardo Mei, suggested that a “crisis” in the queen and Philip’s marriage began in 1956.
“From that year, the two would come to lead completely separate lives, he as an unrepentant bachelor and she as a resigned wife, all busy with official engagements,” Mei said. “According to the tabloid press, Elizabeth would come close to breaking the marriage up 63 times. The figure finds correspondence in the many rumors about Philip’s forbidden relationships.”
Expert Valeria Palumbo though opined that the queen cared more about Prince Philip being faithful to the crown than to her.
“The marriage with Philip was, on the part of Elizabeth II, certainly a marriage of love,” Palumbo stated, before adding: “[Philip] was penniless but he had all the right titles, a man who also respected his duties. It has always been said that Elizabeth did not require fidelity but loyalty.”
Did Prince Philip ever cheat on his wife?
Plenty of chatter about Prince Philip’s alleged infidelity have circulated for years. Those were rehashed again in season 2 of Netflix’s hit series The Crown. Since then, a common question many royal fans have asked is: Did the prince really cheat on Queen Elizabeth? Despite that plotline and affair rumors, there is no proof that the Duke of Edinburgh was ever unfaithful.
Camilla Tominey, an editor and columnist for the Sunday Express, told NBC News that the season 2 storyline is a “complete fabrication.”
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward also commented on the claims saying they are nothing more than fiction. “There was a story about a ballerina [Galina Ulanova] that he was supposed to have had an affair with but that was absolute rubbish,” Seward said.
Even Prince Philip himself commented on the extramarital affair rumors in the past telling a reporter, “Have you ever stopped to think that for years, I have never moved anywhere without a policeman accompanying me? So how the hell could I get away with anything like that?”
They’ve been married longer than any royals in British history
The queen and duke tied the knot on Nov. 20, 1947. The marriage spanning over seven decades is the longest of any British monarch.
The couple had been living apart for the past couple of years following Prince Philip’s retirement from royal duties. However, they began living in the same residence again when the coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns went into effect in March 2020 and celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary together.
