Prince Philip And Queen Elizabeth’s Uncommon Love Story Was A Royal Romance For The Ages

Apr 16, 2021

On Friday, April 9, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away at the age of 99 years old. Not long before his death, the Queen's beloved husband was discharged from the hospital after spending several days there due to complications with an infection. Philip's passing ends his reign as the longest-serving royal spouse, having served alongside Queen Elizabeth II for 65 years and having been married to the monarch for 73 years in total.

Since Philip's death, there have been a significant number of tributes and condolences pouring in. His singular and incredible life continues to be remembered and celebrated by his family. While Philip has a large number of achievements and accolades to his name, nothing will ever surpass the fact that he was the love of Elizabeth's life, and that he was the most devoted consort to the queen. The Duke of Edinburgh was an active and dedicated member of the Royal Family ever since Elizabeth's crowning.   

The enduring love between Elizabeth and Philip will always be one for the ages. Their love budded when they were very young, and unlike other royal marriages that are often arranged, Elizabeth and Philip married for love. After doing so, they have remained each other's steadfast companions, and have supported one another through devastating times. While Elizabeth had the responsibility of becoming a queen thrust upon her early on, Philip had to make compromises and sacrifices to support the new queen. Through his actions and devotion towards his wife, Philip became the perfect example of a royal consort and will remain an inspiration for decades to come. 

According to Reader's Digest, Elizabeth and Philip first met at the wedding of Philip’s cousin in 1934, when she was eight years old and Philip was 13. According to Insider, Elizabeth and Philip were even third cousins, as descendants of Queen Victoria. They met again when she was 13 and Philip was 18, and the young Elizabeth reportedly found him very attractive. During World War II, Philip was deployed overseas, but he and Elizabeth regularly exchanged letters. After he returned to England in 1946, he proposed to Elizabeth and she accepted. 

Philip, who was born in Greece and is descended from Greek and Danish royalty, had to give up all of his previous titles and become a British citizen, which he did so willingly. As a wedding gift, Philip stopped smoking cold turkey because he knew how much Elizabeth despised the habit; her father was a notorious chain-smoker and eventually died of lung cancer. 

The couple fully committed to the marriage and have always provided unwavering support to each other. Gyles Brandreth wrote in his book "Philip & Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage:"

"The Queen wears the crown, but her husband wears the trousers. He is the power behind the throne: steadfast, never-failingly supportive."

However, Philip always understood what was expected of him as a consort to the queen. Ingrid Seward, the author of "Prince Philip Revealed," shared her insight into the “enduring” romance between the couple with Us Weekly, as she said:

"He was always there, always there two steps behind, deferential. Looking after her, he knew that she was actually quite a shy person and that he could rescue her when people were boring her."

In an oft-quoted speech on the date of Elizabeth and Philip’s 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, the queen called her husband her “strength" and reiterated the same thoughts in her own photo tribute to her late husband, which was posted to the official royal Instagram handle: 

The caption reads, "...he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know."

Philip also made his own speech for the 50th anniversary, where he added his own thoughts about what made their marriage successful and said:

"The main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage. It may not be quite so important when things are going well, but it is absolutely vital when the going gets difficult."

The loss of a companion is hard on everyone, but especially so for Elizabeth, who had come to depend on her husband for comfort and strength through the challenging role as queen of a nation as well as the Commonwealth. Seward added, "They were two unique people, and only they knew what it was like to be them … And they were in unique circumstances, they shared things." She also referred to the queen's job and said, "I think it actually would have been an almost impossible job for someone to do on their own. So it was a partnership, a very unique partnership." 

The late Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth truly have a love story for the ages. What was your favorite aspect of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s relationship? Tell us what you think, and be sure to let your friends know about the power of true love that this couple embodies