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| Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip |
“Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones,” said Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, at the start of her annual Christmas speech on December 25, 2021. “This year, especially, I understand why.” That’s because she was in mourning for her beloved husband of more than 73 years, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99.
Recalling the “mischievous, enquiring twinkle in her late husband’s eyes,” as well as his intellectual curiosity, and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation,” Queen Elizabeth’s sweet tribute to her “strength and stay,” as she had referred to Prince Philip in another Christmas speech some 20 years ago, had many listeners in tears. It wasn’t just that the Queen was calling to mind some of the traits for which Philip was most beloved, not just by her, but by the general public; or that her recognition of the challenges of celebrating a holiday while mourning was so very relatable and poignant. Perhaps the deeper wrench was the fact that Philip’s death marked the end of an era so for many who have no real memory of a world in which Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were not at the top of this royal family tree. Here is the incredible story behind the fairy tale romance between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
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| Elizabeth, Philip, Charles and Anne peek out of a window at Balmoral Castle. |
Prince Philip, 98, is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. The couple were married in 1947 when Prince Philip was 26, and Elizabeth was 21. The Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen have four children together: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, who in turn have added eight grandchildren and great grandchildren to the Royal Family. But what is the love story behind the Queen and Prince Philip’s epic 72-year romance?
Prince Philip was born in Greece, into the Greek and Danish royal families, but his family was exiled from the country when he was an infant. Philip spent much of his younger years being parcelled out between relatives.
He suffered a difficult childhood with an exiled father who was mostly absent, a mother in a psychiatric clinic and losing his sister and her entire family in an aircrash when he was just 16 years old. But apart from these hardships, Philip emerged as a charming prospect for many royal families.
So how did Prince Philip become romantically entangled with the Queen? Prince Philip and the then-Princess Elizabeth are distant cousins and met for the first time when they attended the wedding of Philip’s cousin Princess Marina and Elizabeth’s uncle Prince George in 1934. The Queen was then only 8 years old, while Philip was 13.
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| The Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip pose for a portrait in front of the Broadlands Estate, where they spent their wedding night, in celebration of their Diamond Anniversary. |
After Prince Phlip finished school he served in the British forces, where he spent some of his naval leaves at Windsor. Princess Elizabeth was only 15 around this time, but was already reportedly in love with Philip. However, the young Prince was free to play the field.
According to Philip Eade’s book, Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life, in 1939 he sparked a romance with Osla Benning, who had “dark hair, alabaster white skin, an exquisite figure and a gentle loving nature,” according to her friend Sarah Norton.
Sarah remembers: “Uncle Dickie said to me: ‘I don’t think Philip’s got a girlfriend at the moment.
“I wish you could find a nice girl for him because he doesn’t know anyone.
"Osla didn’t have a boyfriend at the time, so I said: ‘I know, I’ll get them together.’ ”
Osla was two years younger than Philip and reportedly the pair began their romance.
In the book, Mr Eade notes one of Osla’s friends, Esme Harmsworth [later Countess of Cromer], recalling a lunch with her at Claridge’s where she noticed Osla was wearing jewellery gifted to her by Philip.
She said: “I noticed she was wearing a naval cipher as a brooch. They’re jewelled and not the sort of thing you scatter around.
“‘Oh’, I said. ‘What’s that? Who is it?’ She blushed and ummed and ahhed and eventually said: ‘Well, he’s called Philip.’ ‘Philip who?’ ‘Well, he doesn’t have another name… actually he’s Philip of Greece.’
Philip and Osla kept in touch when he was away at sea according to Ms Sarah.
She wrote: “It was obvious that he was Osla’s boyfriend in a simple, nice way, so to speak. Every time his ship came back, it was Osla he would ring.”
But the budding romance came to an end one during Christmas in 1943, when Philip went with his cousin, David Milford Haven, to stay at Windsor Castle.
Princess Elizabeth, then aged 17, was said to be animated in a way “none of us had ever seen before” according to her governess, Marion Crawford. Soon after this weekend, Philip and Osla Benning began to drift apart.
The couple began regularly corresponding sending letters over several years until Elizabeth was 21 and Philip announced they were engaged.
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| Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrating their 25th silver wedding anniversary at Balmoral, in November 1972. |
References
Citations
1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Australian Commonwealth Games
Badminton
Women's Singles - Angela Bairstow 🏴
Boxing
Flyweight - John Rakowski 🇦🇺
Bantamweight - Darryl Norwood 🇦🇺
Cycling
Sprint - Fred Booker 🏴
Fencing
Foil Team - Russell Hobby 🇦🇺
Weightlifting
Lightweight Overall - George Newton 🏴
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