Today would have been Prince Philip’s 105th birthday and I thought that it might be fun to remember him in a slightly different way than we normally do. Most today remember Prince Philip as the ever present consort to the Queen who, to quote Queen Camilla, did not suffer fools gladly. But, what about the early years of his relationship with the then Princess Elizabeth? I was looking through some photos of their life, and a theme I continued to see was a young man who often appeared to be beaming at his bride and family. So, let’s take a look back into the early years of Queen Elizabeth and the longest serving consort in British History, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
A picture on Princess Elizabeth’s desk: The then Princess Elizabeth famously fell in love with Prince Philip when she met him at the age of 13. Years later, during the war, she and the Prince, started to correspond more and she kept a picture of him on her desk. When it was suggested that she should perhaps not have the picture of him on her desk because people might make assumptions, she changed the picture to one of him with a beard, saying that then nobody would recognize him.
People Will Say We’re In Love: During their courtship, Prince Philip took Princess Elizabeth to see the musical Oklahoma!. During the show, the song People Will Say We’re In Love resonated with the couple and it was said that it became their song. What is extra sweet is that in 2013, the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was given access to the Queen’s favorite songs to prepare for her birthday celebrations, and that song was on the list.
Letters to Elizabeth: “There is always a small voice that keeps saying 'nothing ventured, nothing gained’ — well did I venture and I gained a wonderful time.” -A Letter that Prince Philip wrote to Princess Elizabeth after visiting her in 1946.
Letters to his future Mother-in-Law: Following his engagement, Philip wrote to the then Queen about how much he loved Princess Elizabeth and how lucky he felt. At one point, he rather touchingly wrote, "Lilibet is the only thing in this world which is absolutely real to me and my ambition is to wield the two of us into a new combined existence.”
Malta: During the early years of Princess Elizabeth’s marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh, the couple actually lived in Malta a lot of the time. Philip was stationed there for his naval duties and it was the one time where the pair could actually just live like a normal naval family. It is said that they did everything together during this time and although it was cut painfully short, it probably provided a really wonderful foundation for their marriage simply as two people rather than Queen and Consort.
Do you have any other facts to share about Elizabeth II and Prince Philip? I would love to hear them in the comments!
For more posts like this, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out. If you are looking to dive deeper, and have access to additional posts, audio/video and the subscriber chat where I give you extras twice per week, be sure to upgrade your subscription. (Yesterday in the group chat I shared an old news reel from the engagement of Elizabeth and Philip.) Thank you for reading and being a part of this community!
Until Next Time,
McKenzie
Ps. I have been listening to the Audiobook of Elizabeth II In Private. In Public. Her Story. By Robert Hardman. A lot of the info above came from this book (Although it is available in many biographies about the pair) and I recommend it!
The first in my recently completed Queen Alexandra series.
Young Alexandra, The Pride of Two Peoples
·
Mar 11
Alexandra of Denmark is in my opinion, one of the most overlooked British Queen Consorts in modern history. Largely due to her husband having a comparatively short reign after the historic reign of his own mother, Queen Victoria, Alexandra, his wife, is often just seen as the beautiful and stately old Queen who had a fabulous collection of jewels. What …
Where did Prince Philip get his surname?
The first in my series about Mary, Princess Royal. The much loved aunt of Elizabeth II.
Rediscovering Britain's Beloved Princess Mary- Her Early Years
·
November 5, 2025
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, is a woman overlooked by history, even though she was a major part of the royal family only a short time ago. She was Great Britain’s Princess, and they loved her for it. In her private life, she was the glue that held her siblings together. Her ideas caught fire and made enormous impact. She started tradit…
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.