Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's marriage was among the things covered in The Crown Season 5. However, based on the show, the Duke of Edinburgh was allegedly unfaithful to his wife, Queen Elizabeth.
How Did The Crown Portray Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip's Relationship?
The most recent season of Netflix's featured a storyline about Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull's relationship. It included a scene where Prince Philip was annoyed with the Queen and him teaching carriage riding to Knatchbull, Express reported.
According to journalist and broadcaster Dan Wootton, the show portrayed Prince Philip as an "uncaring philanderer."
What Were The Secret Behind Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip's Enduring Marriage?
Royal expert and historian Dr. Tessa Dunlop weighed in on the late royal couple's marriage. She noted how the Queen considered her husband "an invaluable contribution" to her life. And she was reportedly "madly in love" with him in their 73-year marriage, and the feeling was mutual.
"I think Philip loved Elizabeth. I've never been in any doubt about that. She changed his life," Dunlop said.
According to her, they have an enduring marriage.
"The inference is that he wasn't sexually faithful - that's what people have inferred," Dunlop said on Daily Mail's Palace Confidential series following the portrayal of Prince Philip in The Crown Season 5, per Express.
"But whether he was or not, the Queen and him clearly had a loving and enduring marriage and a partnership that she leant on and he leant on. They both depended on each other."
As for the secret behind their successful marriage, the royal expert said it worked due to two factors — "independence" and "tolerance." Prince Philip once said that the Queen had abundant "tolerance."
"I think the main lesson we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient in any happy marriage... You can take it from me, the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance," he said, per Express.
Experts React To How Netflix Portrayed Prince Philip
Several royal experts shared their thoughts after The Crown Season 5 premiered on Netflix. Many of them were not happy with how Netflix characterized the Queen's husband.
"Coming just weeks after the nation laid Her Majesty to rest next to Prince Philip, this is very distasteful and, quite frankly, cruel rubbish," Queen Elizabeth's former spokesperson Dickie Arbiter said. "The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. Netflix are not interested in people's feelings."
Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, echoed the same sentiment. According to her, the portrayal of Prince Harry and Prince William's grandfather was in "exceedingly bad taste."
"This is fiction. There's no way in a million years he'd discuss his marriage with anybody. The royals probably won't watch it for their own sanity," she said.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.
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