The funeral of Prince Philip, the 99 year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, took place on Saturday eight days after he tragically passed away. Now, sources are coming forward to talk about the Queen and Philip’s 73-year marriage.
“She fell in love, and she never looked at anyone else,” biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People Magazine.
The Queen was only 13 years-old when she met Philip, who was 18 at the time, in 1939. She met him when she went with her parents and sister Princess Margaret on a visit to Dartmouth naval college. During Philip’s time serving in the Royal Navy in World War II, the two of them exchanged tons of letters.
“Philip enjoys driving and does it fast!” she wrote in a letter to author Betty Shew that was later auctioned off in 2016. “He has his own tiny M.G. which he is very proud of. He has taken me about in it, once up to London, which was great fun.”
The Queen and Philip married in 1947, giving the people of the United Kingdom something to celebrate after the devastating war.
“There had been grayness and austerity, and then to have this golden coach and crowds made it exciting,” Lady Pamela, the daughter of Philip’s uncle Lord Mountbatten and a longtime lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth who served as a bridesmaid, previously said.
The Queen later celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997 with a rare public tribute to the man she loved.
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years, and I . . .owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim,” she said at the time.
Despite the Queen’s devastation at Philip’s death, sources have assured the public that she will not be abdicating the throne.
“Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on. She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on. She did do so when he retired from public life,” said one senior aide, with a close royal insider adding, “She will never abdicate because of duty and honor and public service is so deep in her, as it was for him.”
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