Rebellious Royals
The Duke of Edinburgh
H.R.H. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and
Northern Ireland and Head of the Commonwealth, being a born rebel. From his regal but lowly almost poverty - stricken
background through his marriage rising to phenomenal heights of wealth and privilege engineered by his uncle Earl
Mountbatten of Burma. Philip's father Prince Andrew married Princess Alice of Battenberg, one of Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert's children. Philip's grandfather though having been a King of Greece but was in fact Danish. Philip himself born on
the island of Corfu. Prince Philip first met the then Princess Elizabeth in 1939 when she was aged thirteen and he nineteen.
Earl Mountbatten arranging their meeting when she toured the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth that Philip attended; he
chosen to escort her around. Elizabeth bowled over by the handsome, virile, blonde-haired, fit young naval cadet. Philip
excelled in the Navy at sea in World War II, and on shore equally well with the ladies, and he and the princess rarely saw
each other. However in 1944 Elizabeth and Philip began corresponding together. At the end of the war Earl Mountbatten
pushed for them to marry though Philip was enjoying being a bachelor, loving the nightclubs and the London life offered him
being the centre of female attention. King George IV himself did not encourage the relationship but Elizabeth remained
smitten and welcomed by Earl Mountbatten, the King relented and the marriage between his eldest daughter and Philip
secured; taking place in November 1947. Philip marrying to please his uncle, Elizabeth marrying the man of her dreams.
Philip believed he could enjoy the best of both worlds, a continuance of his naval career at sea, playing polo more
frequently and all the while married into wealth and position promising untold rewards. It meant his having to stop enjoying
his hobby of seducing other women. The King, however, whilst agreeing that he could maintain his career in the Navy that it
would now be in London behind a desk at the Ministry of Defence H/Q. Philip was angered that he was now expected to be
on hand to accompany his wife on her official royal duties and in his rebellion complained to his uncle about this. He
resented having to lose a promising naval career to walk three steps behind his wife and so for two years he maintained the
desk job but in November 1949 the King allowed him to be based on the island of Malta with his wife where they spent six
wonderful weeks together, Elizabeth loving being a naval wife. More ambitious Philip, through his uncle secured, command
of his own frigagate H.M.S. Magpie for two years, Elizabeth joining him in Malta whenever he was ashore there. In 1951, with
the King very ill, Elizabeth's official duties in London increased and Phillip was ordered to return to England to support her
and with no alternative he reluctantly obeyed. He became miserable hating the years back in the capital city and making life
unbearable for everyone, including his young wife who was battling herself to come to terms with her sudden official
workload. In February 1952 the King, her father, died and Philip realised that his wife was now to be crowned Queen and
that he would never return to his naval career, his days of command over, now having no official career and no influence.
Philip struggled personally during the first weeks of his wife's reign as for hours at a time she met with advisers and officials
and he excluded from these meetings so being to given to feeling powerless and useless. As well as being Queen, Elizabeth
aged twenty - six was also mother to both H.R.H. Prince Charles now H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and H.R.H. Princess Anne,
now H.R.H. The Princess Royal. Philip earned his reputation for being impatient, overbearing, abrasive, insulting, and
aggressive. He is often rude to complete strangers leaving them totally embarrassed and at a loss as to what to reply to the
Queen's husband, his personal racial comments well documented and like his daughter not unknown to using the F - word
to people and particularly the media. Diana who never had a good rapport with her saying H.R.H. The Princess Royal being
H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh in drag! In the early days of her reign Phillip often embarrassing his wife whilst on an official
engagement saying in a loud voice "This is a bloody waste of time, come on let's go!" Such behaviour also upsetting those
who would have spent hours organising things to make the royal visit to a hospital by example a resounding success. Philip
didn't give a damn who he offended with his indignant public outbursts.
In an effort to give him something to do he was given a position as Chief Ranger of Windsor Great Park and in estate
management so was held responsible for organising the modernisation of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and
Sandringham and came up with some good ideas but demanding instant obedience from people ensconced in an
environment which hadn't changed in centuries, he did not find himself personally popular but worse a mere handful of his
ideas being accepted and implemented, the majority alternatively ignored or rejected. In 1956 he launched the most
successful idea of his life "The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme". This endeavor is aimed at fostering leadership, self -
discipline, enterprise and perseverance among young people from all walks of life and social backgrounds and is something
he still now remains actively involved in to his personal credit. He has personally raised thousands of pounds to ensure its
success. Since its inception more than 3,000,000 young people from 55 countries and all volunteers have taken part;
including those who have served time in remand homes and prison, giving them a real sense of personal worth and
purpose. As he has now aged H.R.H. Prince Edward, now H.R.H. The Earl of Wessex, his youngest son is of great
assistance with the daily organisation of the scheme.
The Queen's husband has always been a womaniser, he even suggesting to his eldest son that if his marriage to Diana
didn't work out after five years, once an heir was born that he could always supplant his love and affection for her to a
mistress, perhaps Philip recognising whilst bowing to protocol and duty in marrying Lady Diana Spencer, the woman he
loved being Mrs. Camilla Parker-Bowles. History relates it was something ordinarily father and son usually being opposed to
one another agreed upon, she now being wife of "H.R.H. The Prince of Wales".
In 1956 Elizabeth tired of her husband's bullying and demanding attitudes suggested he fly to Australia to open the Olympic
Games and his suggestion being after doing so to travel home from Melbourne aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia via New
Zealand, Malaysia, the Gambia, Antarctica and the Galapagos and Falkland Islands. Travelling 39,000 miles being away for
four months, the Queen thinking this a splendid idea! Philip had a wonderful time of partying, socialising and womanising!
Newspapers speculated on the state of the Royal Marriage as all signs pointed to it's being in crisis! So much so a royal
denial was issued as similarly it being suggested upon Diana and Charles's official separation that there were no plans for
divorce as did happen the year before Diana was killed in Paris, France. As divorced from Charles Diana was not officially
entitled to the same security protection as even as his separated wife she would have been. However MI5 investigated
Philip's nocturnal activities even in London knowing he had membership to the notorious Thursday Club in Soho later called
the Monday Club, a men's only establishment with girls on hand! Their findings were not reported to the Queen as courtiers
did not wish to add to the matrimonial problems being experienced. Elizabeth however read about the rumours circulating
and asked her husband who promptly denied them as Charles later denied the truth about Camilla to Diana. One of Philip's
mistresses being the actress Merle Oberon who he met in 1956, their passionate affair lasting years and conducted secretly
at her home overlooking Acapulco Bay. This womanising conducted by him was his means of rebelling against his life as the
Queen's consort. Those in power behind the scenes never wanted him involved in the running of the Monarchy or its duties,
never asked his opinion or consulted his advice and never permitted him to attend meetings of state between his wife and
the Prime Minister when she learns weekly all that's happening in government matters and foreign affairs.
Philip being encouraged by the Queen to take other trips abroad as in 1962 to South America to, as some courtiers
believed and told, "Get him out of her hair". One of the best kept secret liaisons was Philip's 20 year affair with his own 2nd
cousin Princess Alexandra of Kent. Their relationship beginning back in the 1950's when she was in her early twenties and
he in his late thirties. From being a bridesmaid at the Royal Wedding in 1947 aged eleven, Alexandra never lost the twinkle
in her eye she held for the dashing groom. The Queen became aware of the affair but chose, due to her husband being a
bully, to ignore its happening thinking that it drawing attention to it might provoke him to being even more mentally and
physically abusive to their eldest son H.R.H. Prince Charles who she knew suffered the wrath of his father enough. The
public charade of the philanderer, Lothario playing the dutiful and devoted husband continued and two women rumoured to
be latter mistresses being North American Patti Kluge and who married billionaire John Kluge a German immigrant to the
U.S.A. in 1981 and Lady Penny Romsey who drew close to Philip in 1994 meeting him at a Windsor Polo match and who in
1979 married Earl Mountbatten's grandson and Philip's Godson Norton Knatchbull who became Lord Romsey. In conclusion
this is to be quoted about this rebellious royal ...
" It is all too easy to condemn Prince Philip for the way he brought up their four children ... a task for which he was clearly ill -
suited and ill - equipped and the results of his involvement are plain for all to see. Bullies never make good fathers and
Philip has been a bully all his life, to his wife, his children and his servants. A serial adulterer, Philip's innumerable affairs
brought dishonour to the Crown and disgracefully showed he cared little if anything for Elizabeth's feelings. He has always
been a forthright, aggressive man with strong views and little compassion, tolerance or patience. It is true that he has stood
behind the Queen for more than fifty years, a duty which he has carried out with a stiff upper lip. Yet today none of his sons
wish to spend any time with him because of their childhood memories. Philip is intelligent and incisive and can be witty and
charming. It is shameful therefore that a man of such intelligence and privilege never exercised any self - control in his
private life ! "
It might now though be understood why when Diana, Princess of Wales consulted the Queen hoping that she would
personally intervene and help salvage her marriage following her discovering Charles was conducting an extra - marital
affair with Camilla that she didn't help at all but merely told the distraught Diana "Charles is hopeless!" Diana never went to
the Queen for advice about anything again and it also explains why as bizarre as it is that the Queen was angry with Diana
for drawing the publics attention to her husbands flagrant adultery as opposed to accepting it as being a consequence of
her marriage to him.
Additional notes:
Phillip also rumored to have had an affair with another showgirl other than Merle Oberon by the name of Pat Kirkwood. Ms.
Kirkwood has claimed only friendship between the two of them.
Princess Alexandra of Kent was not only Phillip's 2nd maternal cousin but his wife Elizabeth's 1st cousin.
Prior to his engagement to Elizabeth Phillip was linked romantically to Queen Alexandra of Greece.
Rumors surrounded Phillip and a French cabaret dancer named Helen Cordet. Helene had two children out of wedlock and
there were questions regarding their paternity, with Phillip's name being one attached to the murmurs.
It should be noted as well that in effect the Queen is married to the Crown. In all fairness, Phillip has had to play second
fiddle to the Crown during their marriage. Elizabeth could not even take Phillip's surname, not becoming Elizabeth
Mountbatten but rather remained Elizabeth Windsor as set forth by protocol. In fact, Phillip had to take the surname Windsor
thus becoming Phillip Windsor.
