title: Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage
author: Gyles Brandreth
description: Princess Elizabeth fell for Prince Philip in 1939, when she was 13 and he, 18. But though Philip was a direct descendent of Queen Victoria, some at court thought him an unsuitable match. But as longtime royal acquaintance Brandreth shows, Philip has been the perfect mate: dutiful, loyal, hard-working and deeply respectful. As Brandreth makes clear, the marriage has succeeded not only because Philip loves his wife, but because he understands the nature of royal life. Social and outgoing, Philip balances the queen's reserve. He's also likely the only person who has ever threatened her and gotten away with it: Brandreth relates how Philip grew so fed up with his wife's wordless but potent backseat driving that he told her to stop or he'd put her out of the car. She stopped. Brandreth goes to great and mostly convincing lengths to disprove rumors of the Prince's extramarital affairs and the queen's tendency to lavish more affection on her corgis and horses than on her family. But the biggest surprise here is the portrayal of the royal couple as typical married folks: the prince thinks the queen spends too much time on the telephone, and she has no qualms about telling him to shut up. 40 pages of illus. <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  THE QUEEN AND PRINCE PHILIP
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The Early Years
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Helen Cathcart
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](Image00000.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Fond hope: to compass on a page so brief
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The testament of love!…’
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  An
  
  
  inscription
  
  
  engraved
  
  
  by
  
  
  Laurence
  
  
  Whistler
  
  
  upon
  
  
  a
  
  
  crystal
  
  
  casket
  
  
  in
  
  
  the
  
  
  possession
  
  
  of
  
  
  HM
  
  
  Queen
  
  
  Elizabeth
  
  
  The
  
  
  Queen
  
  
  Mother
  
  
  .
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1: THE DELECTABLE ACQUAINTANCE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2: THE DEEPENING FRIENDSHIP
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3: BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  4: THE NEWLY-WEDS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5: THE YOUNG PARENTS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  6: THE SHATTERING CHANGE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  7: THE GREAT ADJUSTMENT
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  8: HOME AND AWAY
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9: THE HAPPIEST SURPRISE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10: SIX OF US
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  11: THE WIDER FAMILY
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  12: SILVER AND RUBY
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  