Rare Details About Prince Philip And Queen Elizabeth's Relationship

Heavy lies the crown, but it isn't easy being married to a monarch either. When Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, married Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, he accepted a public lifestyle unlike any other. Luckily, Philip was just the man for the job. He remained endlessly devoted to the royal family until his death in 2020, and she dearly missed him up until her final days in 2022. However, there's much about the Duke that most people don't know. Between his complicated ancestral legacy and his unusual interests, Philip sometimes surprised the Queen herself!

Not a native Brit

It might surprise you to learn that Philip was born far from London. Born a Prince of both Greece and Denmark, he spent his earliest days on the Grecian isle of Corfu. His family, however, soon had to flee their posh villa.

The young drifter

After his father made poor tactical decisions during the Greco-Turkish War, the Prince had to leave his homeland behind for good. He spent his youth educated in schools across France, England, and Germany, and Philip often saw little of his family. But on his own, he thrived.

Meeting a princess

But Philip's ties to other European royal families kept him in good company. In fact, at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Prince George, Duke of Kent, the teenager met an 8-year-old Princess Elizabeth. They would reunite years later, but not before a string of tragedies.

The call of duty

Philip's family fell to pieces. His father was distant, while his mother was committed to a mental hospital. His sister, two nephews, and dear uncle all died within rapid succession of one another. A lesser man might've fallen to pieces, but young Philip gave himself over to a higher cause.

Naval hero

Joining the British Royal Navy in 1939, Philip sprinted into the belly of beast that was World War II. Aboard various battleships, he defended the Mediterranean against Italian invaders. His superiors lauded the intrepid sailor, and a 21-year-old Philip reached the rank of first lieutenant.

Falling in love

He'd already steered the future course of the United Kingdom, but Philip was far from done. That much was clear when he reentered the orbit of the charming Princess Elizabeth. The two fell for each other, though there was a snag in their romantic plans.

The royal dilemma

Because Elizabeth was first in line for the British throne, the Windsors didn't want any outside influences — namely those of Greece or Denmark — creeping into Buckingham Palace. Philip learned that if he wanted Elizabeth's hand in marriage, he'd have to make a great sacrifice.

Marital sacrifices

Philip had to renounce his royal titles in Greece and Denmark; that was an easy choice for him. But the royal family also refused him the traditional right of having his children bear his own last name — House of Mountbatten — and specified that he could never become King.

By her side

He settled for the title of Consort of the Queen, but Philip still looked to make his mark. He proudly accompanied Elizabeth all over the world, though his international visits often came with embarrassing gaffes. These includes refusing to pet a koala out of fear and asking a Kenyan lady if she was a woman.

Flying high

But the Prince still cut a gallant figure. When his foot wasn't in his mouth, his hands were on the throttle of a plane — his favorite hobby. The sporting fellow taught himself to pilot all manner of aircraft. However, Philip's life couldn't be all fun and games.

A royal dad

As kids came into the picture, Philip was not what you'd consider a warm and fuzzy father figure. The naval veteran and avid sportsman was particularly prickly around the boy who would one day be King.

His eldest son

Philip and the sensitive Prince Charles were just different, and that didn't make their relationship easy. According to royal expert Penny Junor, Philip "has no patience with his eldest son’s soul-searching" and "has spent a lifetime criticizing him and quietly undermining his self-esteem."

Meeting Diana

On the other hand, Philip supported his son's life decisions by welcoming Princess Diana with open arms — unlike some other royals. She even referred to Philip as "Pa." He grieved her shocking passing, and when Charles remarried years later, Philip neglected to attend.

Always talking

That isn't to say that Philip ever shirked his royal duties. Over the course of 50 years, he delivered about eight speeches per month at large-scale events and galas. He also became president of the English Speaking Union, which promotes public speaking about international youth.

Philip the God

His efforts have earned Philip serious admirers too. The residents of Tanna, an island in the South West Pacific, actually worship the Prince as a divine being. They believe he fulfilled an ancient prophecy and is responsible for all kinds of key world events, including the elimination of Osama Bin Laden.

Stepping back

But even gods get tired after a while. At the age of 96, Philip announced in 2017 that he was retiring from royal duties. Even then, he still appeared at select military and family ceremonies. He had bigger priorities at his age.

A loving patriarch

The Duke wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whom he had an easier time understanding than he did with Charles, by most accounts. His guidance and care for them means that Philip's influence will remain in the royal family for generations to come.

A great legacy

Most importantly, he will go down in history as the longest-serving consort to a British monarch in history. Most people couldn't stomach being married to a Queen for 74 years, but Philip shared some surprising relationship advice.

The secret to a happy marriage

"Tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage," he revealed in 1997. Even in rough patches, the Duke and the Queen knew they were on the same side. Also, they had separate — but connected — bedrooms, which couldn't hurt. Sadly, they couldn't remain together forever.

A difficult goodbye

Philip's health visibly declined in 2021, and not even a heart procedure earlier in the year could prevent the inevitable. He passed away on April 9th at the age of 99 — just a couple months from reaching triple digits. In his final months, he demanded a "no fuss" funeral, and apparently he and Elizabeth pondered over questions about the family's future.

Butting heads

Philip and Elizabeth were aware of the possibility that Charles could make shocking alterations to the British Monarchy. Charles is not one to blindly follow tradition, after all. And while his mother, the Queen, was known for keeping her opinions to herself, her eldest son hasn't been shy about revealing his. It may all lead to him letting the truth slip.

Man of the people

Charles' beliefs can be controversial, too. Apparently, he believes that the monarchy should be pared back and that royal expenses should be paid for privately — not out of public coffers. He's also lobbied against genetically modified foods and called for climate change action. There's reason to believe Charles may act on other tough topics.

Opening things up

And if that isn't enough, Charles is also supposedly in favor of turning Buckingham Palace into an accessible space for the public. Given all these proposed shake-ups, it wouldn't be surprising if he chose to investigate a long-unsolved cold case.

Suspicious urn

And we're talking cold — centuries-old cold. In the bowels of Westminster Abbey — the royal church that's stood in London since the 1200s — there's an urn that contains human bones. It's long been suspected that those remains belong to two murdered princes.

Missing princes

In 1483 princes Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, went missing. The boys weren't yet in their teens at the time of their disappearance, and they were under the guardianship of their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, after their father's sudden passing. Naturally, suspicions would fall on the duke.

Roadblock for Richard

You see, Edward V wasn't actually a prince at that time. He had automatically become king once his father had died. His brother, the Duke of York, was second in line to the throne, too. That left their uncle third — and perhaps he wanted the boys out of the way.

Getting away with it

And after the princes began to fade from public view, then disappeared entirely, Richard became the number one suspect. This didn't prevent him from ascending the throne, however. His royal title was King Richard III, although the public also called him Richard the Usurper.

Unearthing a clue

All seemed lost until 1674, when workers discovered two small skeletons in a box buried in the Tower of London. And while there was no inscription on the box, it looked likely that the boys had been found. Tellingly, the Tower was exactly where the two missing princes had lived.

Buried again

Back then, there was no way of knowing who the remains belonged to. Nobody knew for sure whether they were the lost Edward and Richard — and if anyone had a hunch, they weren't telling. So, the bones were interred in Westminster Abbey and mostly forgotten.

Full-blown effort

That all changed in the summer of 2012. In August that year, the University of Leicester assembled a team of archaeologists to search for Richard III's remains. They, too, were missing and had been for hundreds of years.

One surviving record

After Richard had died, his burial had been unceremonious. Apparently, his body had been placed in a tomb under a church that had been destroyed after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. And there was only one clue that remained for the researchers to go on.

Breaking ground

The best hint to the king's whereabouts was an old map of the church, which matched the layout of a modern parking lot in Leicester, England. Figuring they had a good shot at finding something, the archaeology team got to work digging up the area.

A truly historic moment

It wasn't long before the team were rewarded. Slowly, the excavation unearthed a human skeleton. It bore severe injuries — possibly sustained in battle — that matched historical descriptions of Richard III's body and wounds.

Linking the lineage

Researchers were able to obtain a DNA sample from the bones and traced the old king's relatives to find Michael Ibsen, who was descended from Richard's sister Anne of York. And, excitingly, Michael's DNA swab matched the other sample enough to determine that the body was Richard's. But the historic moment wasn't over.

Let's see the DNA

The Richard III Society — which is devoted to bringing the truth about the old king's reign to light — called for the bones to be DNA matched with the remains found in the Tower of London. However, the members hit a snag. A big one, too.

Firm refusal

When the society asked Westminster Abbey for permission — since that's where the urn is housed — the Queen said that testing wouldn't be allowed. It wasn't the first time Westminster Abbey had been entreated to put the matter to rest, either.

Leave the bones alone

During renovations in the 1990s, a proposal was put forward to examine some old vaults by fiber-optic camera. That way, it could potentially be determined whether the remains were linked to the lost princes. And while the Queen said no, this pattern of refusals may be broken sooner rather than later.

Charles' rationale

There's cause to believe that once Charles settles into his new role, he may be more accommodating to this request than his mother. He's apparently willing to make the monarchy more open to the public, for starters. And there's another reason why he may solve the mystery, too.

He's down to dig up dirt

When Charles was at Cambridge University, he studied archaeology, anthropology, and history. Given those interests, it's highly likely he'd be down to unearth the truth behind the royal remains, though not all of his loved ones have been so supportive of this venture.

A man of culture

And while we can understand the Queen's desire for those ancient remains to be left undisturbed — they were her distant family, after all — we can only hold out hope that Charles might allow them to be tested. Perhaps he will —out of love for history and science, if nothing else.

Conflict of interest

As Charles sorts out the royal family's affairs, though, questions about archaeology are far from the only ones he has spent recent years answering. Besides his historical interests, his views on one scientific topic seem to be a sore spot.

Bordering party politics

It's taboo for the royals to publicly discuss "party politics," and Charles' lifelong interests sometimes ride that line a bit too closely for comfort. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams disclosed that Charles may be "pressured" into abandoning, or at least watering down, said hobbyhorse in the future.

Concerned officials

Though you'd think Charles having to reduce his hold on his passion projects would be a future dilemma, officials have reportedly been concerned about this in the past as well, as royals aren't supposed to meddle in global, contested issues.

An activist king

Certain members of parliament have dreaded having an "activist king," and Charles' forthright views regarding architecture, planning, and genetically modified crops show he's willing to speak out. But didn't take that criticism seriously at first.

Proud of it

Amazingly, Charles responded to such concerns, saying "If it's meddling to worry about the inner cities as I did 40 years ago, then if that's meddling I'm proud of it." By mere contrast, he stands out.

Shaking things up

Considering the Queen has stuck to the safety of traditions and neutrality for the entirety of her reign, it seems as though the idea of Charles shaking things up is alarming the UK. Likely with an eye roll, Charles made it a point to clear things up back in 2018.

Utter nonsense

Though clearly sometimes snarky, the prince clarified in a BBC documentary, aired in honor of his 70th birthday, that reports of him carrying on with his "interventions" once officially donning the King's crown were "nonsense."

Playing the role as expected

"You only have to look at Shakespeare plays, Henry V or Henry IV, Part I and II, to see the change that can take place. Because if you become the sovereign then you play the role in the way that it is expected," he continued.

Different job, different function

"So, clearly I won't be able to do the same things I've done as heir. So, of course, you operate within the constitutional parameters. But it's a different function," Charles continued.

Not that stupid

"I'm not that stupid. I do realize that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course, I understand entirely how that should operate." It became clear that Charles was almost insulted by such assumptions that he would violate the monarch's rules and traditions.

Climate change activist

But Charles has been enthusiastic about saving the environment for decades. More specifically, he's a climate change activist who's promoted environmental and sustainable causes. Some of his accomplishments, though, have the courts concerned.

Protecting natural assets

“The prince has promoted sustainability to ensure that the natural assets upon which we all depend among other things soil, water, forests, a stable climate, and fish stocks endure for future generations,” his official website details. And therein lies the problem.

Award-winning philanthropist

Though he was awarded with the GQ Editor's Lifetime Achievement Award For Services To Philanthropy in 2018, critics felt the difference between simply offering an opinion and downright campaigning for change should be noted. Charles' comments in 2020 had officials reeling.

Threats to humanity

“We are in the midst of a crisis that is now, I hope, well understood. Global warming, climate change, the devastating loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats that humanity has ever faced and one largely of our own creation," Charles stated in a 2020 speech before the World Economic Forum.

Business as usual

“What good is all the extra wealth in the world, gained from ‘business as usual,' if you can do nothing with it except watch it burn in catastrophic conditions?” his speech continued. Charles chooses to travel via electric car rather than helicopter when possible.

Meeting Greta Thunberg

He's even met with the famous Swedish teen environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, to discuss their common goals regarding saving our planet. “Everything I have tried to do, and urge, over the past fifty years has been done with our children and grandchildren in mind," Charles stated.

Disappointment and sorrow

"I did not want to be accused by them of doing nothing except prevaricate and deny the problem. Now of course, they are accusing us of exactly that,” he continued. His words clearly ring with disappointment and sorrow, and Charles had no plans of halting his activism.

Flavors of activism

Richard Fitzwilliams explained that Charles won't have to keep his lips completely zipped about environmental issues once he becomes king. "He would read the speech from the throne, he would give his Christmas message which might very well have a flavor of that in it."

Widely supported issues

"But remember it isn't a party political issue, it is something that almost all governments in the world now support. That is the reduction of carbon emissions." Richard continued. So there's a figurative range to which the prince could speak on environmental issues without being considered controversial.

A fine king

It sounds like, based on what he's told us so far, the Prince of Wales will go down in history as a fine king, tastefully balancing tradition and acceptably advocating for what he believes in. But for now, we will just have to wait and see.