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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s marriage wasn’t just about maintaining a stiff upper lip.
Behind palace doors, there were plenty of temper tantrums, sharp exchanges, and the occasional explosive fight.
Robert Jobson, author of the new book “The Windsor Legacy,” describes one heated argument in 1954, when the couple were staying in Australia during a royal tour.
PRINCE PHILIP’S NOTORIOUS STRAIGHT TALK AND UNFILTERED OPINIONS WERE FEARED BY PALACE STAFF: ROYAL BUTLER
The bestselling author and royal editor for London’s Evening Standard has spent decades uncovering behind-the-scenes stories from the House of Windsor.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. A spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital, “We don’t comment on such books.”
“Philip burst from a cottage, the queen on his heels, hurling a tennis racket and shoes,” Jobson wrote.
“Then she spotted the camera crew, grabbed him, dragged him inside and slammed the door. The Commonwealth Film Unit had come for a staged royal moment with koalas. Instead, they stood frozen. Soundman Loch Townsend coolly exposed the film and handed the reel to the queen’s panicking press secretary, who took it with relief.”
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“Later, Elizabeth emerged from the cottage, this time smiling,” he wrote. “‘Sorry for the little interlude,’ she said. ‘It happens in every marriage. Now, what would you like for me to do?’”
According to Jobson, the footage “vanished.”
The royal marriage was not always picture-perfect, even when cameras were rolling, royal expert Ian Pelham Turner insisted to Fox News Digital.
“A film crew waiting outside the bungalow could hear the tremendous row between Philip and Elizabeth as cameras were rolling,” said Turner.
“Both a tennis racket and a shoe were thrown at his head by a very irate Elizabeth. At times, Philip would call the queen a ‘bloody fool.’ As I know personally, you never wanted to get on the wrong side of embarrassing the queen. She could freeze you with an icy stare from 50 feet away.”
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, previously told Fox News Digital that the queen and the duke were exhausted from the trip and that “their tempers were very frayed.”
“The queen came out and shouted at [Philip] to come back,” the author of “Prince Philip Revealed” claimed. “She then grabbed him and dragged him back inside. Of course, you can imagine how this frumpy press secretary at the time was absolutely terrified.”
“He ran over to the crew and said, ‘We cannot have this on film. This is a disaster. Give me your film. You weren’t meant to be filming this.'”
“Philip was also quite sharp with his wife,” Seward noted. “He used to drive at top speed everywhere, which made her nervous. She would start taking deep breaths, and he’d tell her, ‘If you carry on breathing like that, I’ll put you out of the car.’ Once, a person sitting next to her asked, ‘Why don’t you tell him off?’ She replied, ‘Because I know he’ll stop the car and put me out!’”
“But the queen gave it back just as much,” Seward added. “He would accuse her of talking rubbish, and she’d speak in riddles as he tried to figure out what she meant.”
Elizabeth, once described as the “world’s most eligible heiress,” married naval officer Philip Mountbatten in 1947. At the time, the future Duke of Edinburgh had only “pennies to his name,” Jobson wrote. He remained famously frugal until his death in 2021 at age 99.
Jobson wrote that Philip once had his tailor “alter a 52-year-old pair of trousers.”
Examining Philip’s life, Jobson wrote that the prince’s dream of continuing his naval career was dashed when Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died in 2022 at age 96.
“He was famous for lamenting in the initial years of her reign, ‘I’m the only man in this country whose wife is his boss!’” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
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“Her classic public snap at him, heard by many, was ‘Philip, do behave,’” she shared. “There was one Trooping the Colour carriage trip where they were caught on camera having a dispute with Queen Elizabeth, giving him an icy look and what looked like a blunt retort.”
“Over the years, those who worked with and for the couple witnessed many scenes where Philip would end up saying, ‘Oh, do shut up.’ The queen didn’t usually take umbrage. Instead, she was ready with a withering but witty reply. Most scenes were recounted to show how steely and sarcastic she was when he was blunt, impatient and occasionally rude to her.”
Still, British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Elizabeth and Philip were deeply committed to both the Crown and each other.
“As they say, opposites attract,” Chard said. “An unassuming young Princess Elizabeth and a dynamic Prince Philip fell madly in love. Hand in glove, they worked together in perfect balance — until their world changed unexpectedly.
“Prince Philip was forced to give up his promising naval career to become the queen’s consort. Their sense of duty and devotion to the Crown never faltered, although Philip found his role frustrating, especially in the early years. He understood that her public duties always came first.”
Philip would later joke that he was “the world’s most experienced plaque-unveiler.”
Royal experts say Elizabeth and Philip’s marriage had its share of strain, but humor and loyalty always won out — and made it last.
“My personal favorite story is a brilliant prank Prince Philip pulled in 2003,” Fordwich said.
“He dressed as a Grenadier Guard for a military review at Windsor Castle. Even at his age, he could still make Queen Elizabeth giggle like a schoolgirl. That moment showed his cheeky side — his knack for making her laugh — and their unique bond. Also, among his pet names for her was ‘Cabbage.’”
“In 1957, upon his return from a long naval tour aboard the Britannia, he had grown a beard,” Fordwich also shared. “The queen and her courtiers wore fake beards to greet him, which sparked plenty of laughter.”
Philip retired from public duties in 2017 at age 96. He quietly spent his final years in a five-bedroom cottage on the Sandringham estate, keeping busy with history books, watercolor painting, and visits from close family members.
“Strength in differences was a belief both Elizabeth and Philip shared,” Chard said. “It strengthened their marriage. They gave each other space to explore their different interests. As Prince Philip once said, the essential ingredient in any happy marriage is tolerance. He shared that the queen had the quality of tolerance in abundance.”
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Philip and the queen “spent precious time together” at Windsor Castle, where he gave her what Jobson described as a “new lease on life.” The couple shared afternoon tea most days, which “delighted the queen.”
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“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” the queen said during their golden wedding anniversary celebration.
“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.”
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