When it comes to unforgettable romances, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are the portrait of love and devotion.
Their royal relationship runs rings around some of the great love stories of the 21st century.
Now celebrating an incredible 70 years of wedded bliss, there’s still so much we never knew about Prince Philip and The Queen.
From their unexpected bedroom arrangements, to their adorable nicknames and past power struggles – the pair continue to surprise us.
One thing that’s certain, The Queen and her Prince simply adore each other and have a seriously sweet way of showing it.
“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 and his whole family, in this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know,” Her Majesty, 91, has previously said of her husband.
As for their secret to a successful marriage Phil, 96, says it’s all about having “tolerance” and “different interests.” Take notes, everybody!
So to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary, we’ve rounded up the most fascinating and unknown facts about the couple.
This is how they’re preparing to say goodbye
At 91 and 96 respectively, friends say the royal couple aren’t naïve to the fact that their time together is limited.
“They will be stiff upper lip in public and keep their own emotions behind. They are both deeply religious people and it won’t take them by surprise,” a royal aid recently revealed to People.
Their faith and resilient nature will help them through their heartbreaking last chapter.
“Their life together has always been built on regular separations. They are not a soppy couple,” royal historian Robert Lacey added.
WATCH: Prince Philip through the years. Post continues…
They’ll be together for all eternity
When it comes to their final resting place, it’s believed The Queen and Prince Philip will be buried next to each other in Frogmore Gardens on the grounds of their beloved Windsor Castle.
Although a vast majority of past British monarchs are laid to rest in St George’s Chapel and Westminster Abbey, Queen Elizabeth’s parents and younger sister are all buried at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria and Price Albert are also buried on the site.
Their final resting place will be on the grounds of Windsor Castle, next to one another.
They’re distant cousins!
The blue-blooded crowd is a small world and it turns out, The Queen and Prince Philip are second cousins once removed via their shared relative, King Christian IX of Denmark, and third cousins through their shared great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
He always made sure dinner was on the table for the family while his wife was working
Who needs chefs when you have Prince Philip?
That’s right, the father-of-four was a gun in the kitchen and according to author Ingrid Seward My Husband and I: The Inside Story Of 70 Years Of Royal Marriage, he always cooked dinner for Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward while The Queen was on duty.
When his partner in crime was home, he loved to cook breakfast for her and was famous for his omelettes, scrambled eggs and smoked haddock.
Prince Philip, pictured with The Queen and Prince Charles in 1949, cooked for the whole family.
The huge gesture Philip pulled off on their wedding day
They say marriage is all about compromise and knowing how much his wife-to-be hated smoking, a then Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark gave up the ciggies cold turkey on the morning of his wedding!
No patches, no nagging, just plain old commitment and a stiff upper lip.
WATCH: Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth announce their engagement. Post continues after the video…
They sleep in separate beds
Yes you read that right. Apparently a lot of posh people actually prefer to sleep in separate beds, including the Queen and her man.
As etiquette expert Lady Pam and Her Majesty’s cousin explained in a biography about her relative: “In England, the upper class always have had separate bedrooms. You don’t want to be bothered with snoring or someone flinging a leg around. Then when you are feeling cosy you share your room sometimes. It is lovely to be able to choose.”
Apparently the secret to marital bliss is separate beds!
There was a big brouhaha over Philip taking on The Queen’s surname
It’s no secret Prince Philip struggled with the power dynamic and playing second fiddle as The Queen’s ultimate wingman.
Anyone who has watched The Crown understands this. And it’s not just fiction, the history books prove this. Much to his dismay, Philip abandoned his title Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and became Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
He also changed from practising Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism.
Between 1947 to her accession in 1952, Elizabeth briefly took on the title Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh to try and keep the peace.
The things you do for love! Philip renounced his name and Greek Orthodox following.
Philip’s nicknames for his other half are just adorable
“Cabbage”, “Darling” and “Lilibet” are just a few of the sweet titles Prince Philip has for his girl.
The Queen filmmaker Peter Morgan says he has it “on good authority” that “Cabbage” is the preferred nickname Philip uses.”I inquired in royal circles and was told on very good authority that that is what the Duke sometimes calls the Queen,” he said.
The term apparently derives from the French saying “mon petit chou”, which means “my darling” and translates to “my little cabbage” in English.
Philip is always making his little “Cabbage” laugh.
They were destined to be together
Like something out of a movie, their paths first crossed in 1934 at the wedding of Elizabeth’s uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.
She was only eight at the time, he was 13. Three years later when she was 13 and he was 18, they had another chance encounter and began to keep in touch by writing to each other while Philip was away in the military.
In newly-surfaced letters that were auctioned in 2016, Elizabeth wrote about the struggles of long-distance lamenting: “I was 13 years of age and he was 18 and a cadet just due to leave. He joined the Navy at the outbreak of war, and I only saw him very occasionally when he was on leave — I suppose about twice in three years.”
“Then when his uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, were away he spent various weekends away with us at Windsor. Then he went to the Pacific and Far East for two years.”
Rare letters between the couple show just how much they adore one another.
They were head over heels from day dot
During their honeymoon at the Mountbatten estate Broadlands in Hampshire, the newlyweds both wrote to their family to express their love and gratitude towards their new spouse.
“I only hope that I can bring up my children in the happy atmosphere of love and fairness which Margaret and I have grown up in. We behave as though we had belonged to each other for years! Philip is an angel — he is so kind and thoughtful,” Elizabeth penned to her parents.
While a loved-up Philip beamed to his aunt: “Cherish Lilibet? I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me. She’s the only ‘thing’ in this world which is absolutely real to me and my ambition is to weld the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to withstand the shocks directed at us but will also have a positive existence for the good.”
Romantic, loyal and utterly in love – what a wonderfully inspiring love story!
