12 Rumors About Queen Elizabeth's Husband Prince Philip That Couldn't Be Ignored

Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, is remembered as one of the most important supporters of the British crown. In her Golden Wedding speech, Elizabeth herself famously declared, "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." While this sentiment has certainly portrayed Philip as a loyal husband and dutiful subject, he also attracted quite a bit of controversy back in the day, like all the times Prince Philip made inappropriate comments over the years.

Philip has also been at the center of numerous rumors related to romances and extramarital affairs, which he denied. He once told journalist, Jeremy Paxman, that he was too old to attract such whispers, joking, "As far as I'm concerned, every time I talk to a woman, they say I've been to bed with her — as if she had no say in the matter. Well, I'm bloody flattered at my age to think some girl is interested in me. It's absolute cuckoo" (via the Daily Mail). These words, however firm, have done nothing to quell the gossip mill, and many royal experts disagree with regard to whether or not Philip actually remained faithful throughout his marriage to Elizabeth. Many more rumors surrounding Prince Philip have only continued after his death.

Before marrying Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, Prince Philip was young, handsome, and dashingly royal. At the time, he was known as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, and was arguably one of the most eligible bachelors in the world — or at least one Australian model seemed to think so. In 1947, Sandra Jacques of Sydney told the Daily Mail that the prince had been a real catch as a bachelor. "As a young lieutenant stationed in Australia before his marriage, Philip often escorted me. On a date with Philip you could be sure of a man who noticed that different hairstyle or new dress," Jacques said. "He enjoyed mixing his own cocktails and pretty diabolical they were."

Interestingly, people close to Jacques seemed willing to corroborate her allegations. An Australian socialite informed the Daily Mail that Jacques and Philip had enjoyed a "terrific love affair" before parting ways. Decades later, in 2021, her son even hinted that things between the pair had been serious. "It always makes me chuckle that Mum could have been Mrs. Mountbatten had Philip not gone on to marry the queen," he told the publication. Although it's hard to know if this rumor about Prince Philip was true, it certainly fits his portrayal as a ladies' man.

When Queen Elizabeth II was just a young teenager, she saw Prince Philip at the Royal Navy College in 1939. Then just a 13-year-old princess, Elizabeth developed a crush. In the tell-all book "The Little Princesses," royal nanny Marion Crawford would later recall that Elizabeth "never took her eyes off" 19-year-old Philip. The prince, meanwhile, seemed less impressed, or as Crawford put it, he "did not pay her any special attention."

If Philip didn't appear particularly taken by Elizabeth, perhaps it was because he was already taken. The handsome young prince was known to attract women left, right, and center. Even right before his royal wedding, he was rumored to have enjoyed a weekend getaway with an attractive young woman. Writing in her book, "Prince Philip Revealed," royal expert, Ingrid Seward, claimed that the prince spent time in Cornwall with the English writer, Daphne du Maurier. At the end of their escapade, Philip reportedly confessed his reluctance to go through with his wedding, telling his lover, "I don't want to go back, I want to stay with you." Du Maurier, however, allegedly urged him to fulfill his duties, stating, "Your country needs you." If true, this rumor would confirm the idea that Elizabeth was originally much more interested in Philip than he was with her.

Netflix's "The Crown" portrayed Prince Philip as having spent a lot of time with a certain Mike Parker. Per the plot of the show, Mike cheated on his wife, Eileen Parker, on multiple occasions. The drama shows Mike's character egging Philip's character on, encouraging him to be unfaithful to the queen. Although "The Crown" is a work of fiction, there was a kernel of truth in all of this. Philip did indeed have a friend named Mike Parker who did have an affair. His wife, Eileen, actually did leak the story of her husband's infidelities to a newspaper, calling into question Philip's choice of friend.

Decades later, Eileen spoke to royal expert, Ingrid Seward. In an article published in the Daily Mail, Seward reported on Eileen's allegations that Philip used to meet up with an unnamed woman. According to Eileen, Philip and his paramour would contact each other by sending messages to a certain nightclub. On one occasion, there was even said to have been a mix-up where a message did not end up in the right hands. As fascinating as this story was, however, Seward was unable to verify Eileen's claims. It seems that any stories of Philip's illicit nightclub liaisons can be attributed to no more than salacious rumors.

When Prince Philip was a child, one of his playmates was Hélène Cordet. The two shared a deep connection based on the shared experiences of privileged early years ruined by exile from Greece. When she got married, Philip walked Hélène down the aisle, and after her divorce, became the godfather of her two children born out of wedlock — Max Boisot and Louise Boisot. Philip honored his commitment of being godfather by paying for the kids' education, and even sent Max to Gordonstoun, the Scottish boarding school where Philip had spent some of his happiest years. But what the prince may have viewed as a healthy dose of support to his godchildren, others interpreted as unusual.

In fact, some royal watchers wondered whether Philip had secretly fathered Max and Louise. Even high-ranking palace staffers were so concerned by the possibility that they tried to drive a wedge between Philip and Hélène, preventing her from attending Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. But while this drama about possible royal love children may have been interesting for gossips, it was torture for the kids involved. 

Even as an adult, Max took it upon himself to clarify his parentage, telling the press, "I have heard these rumors all my life, but they are ridiculous. My father -– my real father — lives in Paris and it is silly to say otherwise. All this goes back to [Philip and Hélène's] childhood friendship and there's nothing more to it than that" (via Daily Mail).

Prince Philip and Princess Diana had a strained relationship, full of misunderstandings and mutual dislike. When she collaborated with royal biographer Andrew Morton to write the tell-all book "Diana: Her True Story," Philip was enraged. He viewed her confessions as an attack on the monarchy. She, in turn, figured that Philip was not quite as perfect as he wanted her to think. Certain that he had engaged in many affairs over the years, Diana began to search for his hidden royal love children. She did not find anything.

Fascinatingly, even her own journalistic ally, Morton, did not expect the princess to come up with any dirt on Philip. Speaking to Fox News, Morton said, "I think the biggest misconception [about the royal family] is that Prince Philip was playing away all the time. I remember when I first started writing about the royal family in 1982. Within a year I was told that Prince Philip had secret families in Norfolk, Malta, Melbourne, and Germany." In the end, there was no truth to any of these rumors — even if they did negatively impact Philip's public image. In private, the prince would reportedly joke at how impossible it would be for him to carry on such an elaborate affair, asking, "How could I? I've had a detective in my company, night and day, since 1947" (via Vanity Fair).

In the Netflix hit series, "The Crown," Prince Philip is portrayed as having engaged in an extramarital affair with a Russian ballerina by the name of Galina Ulanova. This storyline quickly catalyzed a serious rumor concerning the prince's fidelity to Queen Elizabeth II. Per the show, Ulanova was so taken with Philip that she left him a photograph. When the queen found the item among Philip's belongings, she was furious.

Of course, it's important to remember that "The Crown" is fiction and there is no proof that anything of the sort ever took place. In a conversation with People, the television series' historical consultant Robert Lacey noted, "People have often said, 'He must have been unfaithful,' but there is no solid evidence for that. When you've seen the episodes, you get the feeling why people make that supposition. But there is no evidence for it." Nonetheless, the show's portrayal of Philip led some viewers to believe that the prince's so-called dalliances with the ballerina were more than just fiction. 

If there was one third party integral to Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II's love story, it was Princess Alexandra. A beloved cousin to the queen, Alexandra did her best to set the young couple up, allowing them to meet in the privacy of her garden. When the match had been made, Alexandra was asked to be one of Elizabeth's bridesmaids at the wedding. Decades later, on the occasion of Alexandra's 80th birthday, the queen demonstrated her eternal appreciation by organizing a bash that celebrated her cousin's dedication to philanthropy.

Due to all these factors combined, it seems highly unlikely that Alexandra and Philip had ever had an affair. Despite the princess' close, life-long relationship with the queen, however, certain insiders believed that she was carrying on with Philip in secret. The whispers eventually grew so intense that Alexandra's husband, Sir Angus Ogilvy, contacted Elizabeth's private secretary looking for support. Significantly, though, Angus did not seem to hold onto any long-term resentment toward Philip. He even told biographer Gyles Brandreth that the prince was "a good man" — a statement interpreted by many to be an indication of his innocence.

Prince Philip was said to have been connected to Sacha, Duchess of Abercorn — a woman 25 years his junior. In a piece published by the Daily Mail, royal expert, Ingrid Seward, cited an interview between the duchess and Philip's biographer, Gyles Brandreth. "It was certainly not a full relationship. I did not go to bed with him. It probably looked like that to the world. It's complicated and at the same time, it's quite simple. He needs a playmate, and someone to share his intellectual pursuits," Sacha told Brandreth.

Regardless of Sacha's explanation, royal watchers began to suspect there was something more bubbling between the prince and the duchess in 1987. At the time, the two were photographed in a casual side hug. The gesture, though, was deemed significant as neither was wearing much clothing. While Philip was sporting a towel around his waist, Sacha donned only a swimsuit. When asked what Queen Elizabeth II thought about all this, Sacha just shrugged it off, stating, "The queen gives Philip a lot of leeway." Did she think the prince had been physically intimate with the other women in his life? "I doubt it very much. But he's a human being. Who knows?"

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, may be known for her awkward royal gaffes, but at least one royal expert claims that scandal pre-dated her entrance into the royal family. The daughter of Prince Philip's former polo teammate, Ronald Ferguson, and Susan Barrantes, Sarah had long fostered family ties with the monarchy. Those ties, however, are rumored to have been stronger than anyone imagined. 

In his book "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," royal biographer Andrew Lownie alleged that Philip and Susan had engaged in an intimate extramarital affair. What's more, he was willing to reveal his source. The biographer's wife, Angela Lownie, grew up near the Ferguson household and knew the whole story of Susan and Philip's alleged dalliances.

It turns out that Angela was not the only one who had heard this rumor. Speaking to the Daily Mail, an upper crust insider known as David Rogers noted, "There was something going on between Prince Philip and Ferguson's wife. It was talked about openly." When was this? "As I recall, it was some time between the two general elections of 1964 and 1966." Even Sarah's father, Ronald, seemed to remember something odd. In his memoir, "The Galloping Major," Ronald wrote, "I always suspected that Prince Philip had an eye for Susie. Certainly, they remain friends to this day."

Prince Philip was said to have adored a good party, and back in 1948, he proved it. At the time, his friend Sterling Nahum was dating actor Pat Kirkwood, and one night after a show, Nahum took Philip into her dressing room backstage at the London Palladium to introduce them. From there, the crew had a wild night out drinking and dancing at London clubs. Philip was seen spinning Pat around on a dance floor, but to anyone's knowledge, nothing more occurred. The evening ended with the friend group digging into a batch of scrambled eggs at Nahum's apartment.

Unfortunately, the excitement of that outing haunted Philip and Kirkwood forever. Tabloids, royal biographies, and news outlets alike shared the rumor of a passionate romance involving the prince and the actor. In private letters later published by The Telegraph, Kirkwood admonished Philip for failing to issue an official statement defending her reputation. "If there had been some support from your direction, the matter could have been squashed years ago, instead of [my] having to battle a sea of sharks single-handed," she wrote. The impact of the alleged affair on Kirkwood's career proved almost insurmountable, transforming her from an up-and-coming talent to a social pariah. Philip, however, told her that the palace would not help her, returning her letter with a disappointing response: "There is absolutely nothing to be done." 

In the early 1960s, an osteopath by the name of Stephen Ward arranged for the British Minister for War, John Profumo, to meet with a young performer named Christine Keeler. Profumo and Keeler embarked on an inappropriate affair that would have had the makings of any typical political scandal under usual circumstances. The circumstances of the case, however, were not usual as Keeler was also having another affair with Soviet naval attaché, Yevgeny Ivanov. The fact that this woman was involved with two men — each of whom had access to important military intel at the height of the Cold War — carried huge implications on the world stage. 

The relationship warranted a serious investigation, not just by British authorities but also the American FBI. Ward, ultimately, lost his job. But the FBI's investigation found that another important figure may have been involved. Files released to the press show that, at one point, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover contacted the U.S. Embassy in London about a private investigator, Thomas Corbally, who stated, "There was a rumor Prince Philip may have been involved with these two girls [Keeler and her friend, Mandy Rice-Davies]" (via Vanity Fair). While these rumors were not expanded upon, many royal watchers have wondered whether Philip, too, had an intimate relationship with these women.

Throughout his later years, Prince Philip shared a surprising hobby with his youngest granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor. Carriage driving was one of the prince's favorite activities, but Louise wasn't the only young aristocrat with whom the prince enjoyed the sport. Penny Romsey, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, was also a frequent carriage driving companion of Philip's. The pair were known to travel to competitions together, and seeing that Penny was young and beautiful, it was only a matter of time before the romance rumors started.

Of course, neither Philip nor the countess ever said anything to confirm an affair. However, the two were once spotted dancing closely at an elite event. Describing the instance in an article for the Daily Mail, royal expert, Ingrid Seward, wrote, "When I saw Philip and Penny gliding around the dance floor at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during Cowes Week one year, neither of them gave a d**n who saw them or what anyone might say. I noticed that Philip was completely in rhythm with the beautiful Penny." These observations aside, Seward admitted there was no evidence to suggest the two were intimate beyond a simple friendship.