Prince Philip, the husband of the British Queen Elizabeth, is gone today. Together they lived for 73 years, becoming a role model for many families. What made their union so strong - read in our article.
Prince Philip of Edinburgh, the husband of the British Queen Elizabeth, did not live to see his century just two months. On the morning of April 9, he died at Windsor Palace. A couple of months before that, he suffered coronavirus, and recently spent almost a month in the hospital due to a serious health condition.
Thanks to the series "The Crown", Prince Philip opened up to the whole world as a very charismatic man, with an iron character and a good sense of humor. A real man with whom you can really be like a stone wall. But in the same series, it is shown that not everything went smoothly in the royal family. Queen Elizabeth found photographs of strangers, she heard rumors about her husband's novels. But despite this, their marriage lasted 73 years, and only death separated Elizabeth and Philip. What is the secret of such family "longevity"?
The English royal family at the wedding of William and Kate Middleton
There was no struggle for leadership
If you look at the photographs of the royal family, you will notice that Prince Philip always kept in the shadow of the queen. She is always in the forefront. One would think, they say, the prince has such a character - for the second plan. But this can be solved if you do not know his biography. Prince Philip went through the entire Second World War, commanded a warship. He continued to serve in the navy even after he became the husband of Elizabeth - then still Lilibet. He left her only after George VI died and he became the spouse of the reigning monarch. So you can't call Prince Philip a weak-willed henpecked. It is about wisdom, understanding of your role and the promise given to King George VI - to always and in everything to help Elizabeth. Therefore, in their marriage there was no pulling the blanket to their side, the battle, who was more important, and jealousy of the success of the other. This, incidentally, was one of the main reasons that the marriage of Charles and Diana was short-lived. Charles was very jealous of his wife, who was much more popular with others than he was.
It is important to note that Elizabeth did not abuse her power and gave her husband the opportunity to make important decisions. For example, she did not argue when Philip decided to send Prince Charles not to the "major" Eton College, but to the Gordonstone School, which he himself graduated from.
Prince Philip with his mother Princess Alice
The queen made peace between the prince and her mother
Prince Philip had a very difficult childhood. From Greece, he escaped with his family in orange boxes. As a teenager, his beloved sister, who was pregnant at the time, died in a plane crash. But, perhaps, one of the main psychotraumas of his life was the separation from his mother - Princess Alice. Due to nervous breakdowns, she was placed in a mental hospital. Then she became a nun in a Greek temple. Prince Philip has not seen her for many years. And when it became dangerous in Greece because of the revolution, it was Queen Elizabeth who invited him to bring his mother to Great Britain and it was she who helped them to get closer again. A wise woman does just that. And he does not alienate his man from his mother, whatever the relationship with his mother-in-law.
Young parents with Prince Charles and Princess Anne
Four children
In The Crown, there is a scene where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are with all their children. And there the phrase sounds: "We gave birth to the first pair of children out of debt, and the second for our own pleasure." The third son, Andrew, solidified their marriage after a jealous rift broke out in it. Well, the fourth - Anthony - made them young parents in adulthood.
Elizabeth and Philip have 8 grandchildren (each of their children has two children) and 10 great-grandchildren. Moreover, the tenth, "jubilee", was born quite recently, in March of this year, and in a very conditions unusual for the royal family.
Elizabeth and Philip with their "magnificent four"
Kinship of souls and interests
Prince Philip, like Elizabeth, loved to visit their country estate in Baltimore. They could walk for hours in nature, both loved to go hunting, arrange family and friendly gatherings with cartoons and playing Crocodile. Only her husband could make the always restrained Elizabeth laugh. They were really two halves, who formed a close-knit family. And, perhaps, this is the most important secret of a strong marriage.
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