The Daily Mail has several gossip columns, and one of them is Eden Confidential. Eden Confidential’s main gossip item this weekend was about the Sussexes and Cambridges fighting over an aide, an aide who willingly chose to work with the Sussexes. But buried underneath that story was this shady little piece of royal shenanigans and I feel like this completely deserves a stand-alone post, if only for the way it was written. Some backstory: Prince Philip has always been a cheater. I’m very sorry to everyone who thinks the Duke and Queen Elizabeth have always been sunshine and roses, but he cheated on her constantly for years. I honestly thought that his age and infirmity meant that Prince Philip was just spending his time crashing cars and playing with horses. But no.
Prince Philip, who surrendered his driving licence after his car crash in January, has an elegant new ‘chauffeur’. The Duke of Edinburgh’s old friend, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, was spotted driving him around the Queen’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk in a Land Rover Freelander.
Penny, 66, is more often seen sitting alongside the 98-year-old Duke in horse-drawn carriages.
The Queen arrived yesterday at Sandringham, where her husband is now based at the estate’s Wood Farm, so no doubt she took a firm grip of the steering wheel.
I cannot believe how SHADY this line is: “The Queen arrived yesterday at Sandringham, where her husband is now based at the estate’s Wood Farm, so no doubt she took a firm grip of the steering wheel.” *sips tea* What if that’s the reason why the Queen skipped Archie Mountbatten-Windsor’s christening? Because The Crown Season 10 is about how the Queen walked in on the Countess Mountbatten of Burma handling Philip’s *AHEM* steering wheel?
Honestly though, the Countess Mountbatten is the oldest daughter of Lord Mountbatten, who was the adoptive father of Prince Philip. Philip has known Countess Mountbatten and her sister Lady Pamela Hicks since they were girls. They’re all related through blood and marriage and shared tragedy. Plus, Philip is 98. I mean, I kind of think his “legendary swordsman” days are over. That doesn’t mean that he’s incapable of having an emotional affair, I guess. Which might be one of the reasons why the Queen high-tailed it to Sandringham.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Prince Philip is an ass and always has been. Racist, sexist and a terrible example for Charles, who followed in his cheating ways.
I must defend Charles.
If his mother allowed him to marry Camilla the first time things would have been different.
The Royal “protocol” destroyed Margareth, and then Charles.
It isn’t even about examples for Charles. It’s the whole system. It’s expected everyone cheats. This shouldn’t surprise anyone imo. Even the best parenting doesn’t guarantee your child is raised and maintains their whole life a very specific set of qualities. Not when everyone and everything around them says it’s ok.
Their marriages are not personal, but business. So they all cheat on the side, it’s expected. But Philip has been a lifelong racist and @ss, and he wasn’t even “good” enough for Elizabeth, but I guess she had blinders on. Anyway, Charles has said his parents were emotionally distant, and I don’t think he really “followed” either of them — it’s probably his nannies who molded him into whatever type of person he is today.
The current Countess Mountbatten is the Granddaughter-in-law of Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma and the Daughter-in-law of Patricia, Countess of Mountbatten of Burma.
Thank you. This article gets the basic facts of who is related to whom and how wrong, so it’s hard to give credence to the gossip
Thank you, we are talking about Penny who has been in a very long term relationship with Philip….the full story will emerge only in the years to come. The Queen has accepted it, and is on friendly terms with Penny.
Do we honestly think the Queen cares at this point?? Philip is 98 – it’s safe to say he isn’t going anywhere. I think he and QE have been living separate lives for awhile now and they see each other at scheduled times – like her visit to Sandringham. But outside of that I get the feeling at this point she’s not fussed about what Philip gets up to. Because at 98 he probably can’t get up to much. No pub intended. Well kind of. 😂😂
I think their setup works for them. Neither of them are spring chickens. I think they’re happy enough living their separate lives and then their lives together as two different entities. Especially since Phillip retired.
@Valiantly,
*Teeheehee*…”No pub intended.”
Hmm, sounds like she could use a stiff one from that pub.
I bet she doesn’t care, as long as he doesn’t embarrass the firm, which he could do by either killing someone with his car, or acting weird with a younger sycophant on his arm in public. Poor Queen never gets a moments peace with all of her various philandering off spring and spouse… lol
Or maybe people can have different needs fulfilled by different people in their lives! Maybe it’s the French in me- but let’s stop asking our partners to be everything to us all the time! It’s hard to be even a good friend, so how can one be consistently a good friend, passionate lover, good parent, useful homemaker, etc etc. to the same person all the time and forever?
Agreed.
Oh, Sara YES!! The “you are my everything” line teaches the WRONG message and screwed up more relationships than knot (spelling pun intended).
I’m guilty of at times expecting my husband to fill that role. It’s something that’s definitely good to keep in mind for your own sanity, and the sanity of others. I work in tech and am surrounded by dudes who are like brothers to me. I’ve drifted far from the few female friends I had growing up (I was always more of a tom boy and besides some lifelong female friends I don’t have a ton). My closest girlfriend who works with us moved and works remotely now – but is actually on mat leave. My second closest ALSO moved away and is working remotely. I didn’t realize how much of a void they were filling until they were gone from the office (or in the first ones case again due to mat leave). And no matter how close you are to your partner or other coworkers – they’re not going to be able to always just pick up the slack.
Luckily – a lot of the guys are just genuinely great people. And they have me as an outlet of ‘do you think my wife would like ___ piece of jewelry’ or ‘oh god the sephora site is making me pick samples – I don’t know what to pick and I’m ordering a surprise – help!’. Or I’ll get the super sweet gushy stories about their wives and or kids that they don’t feel like chatting to their guy friends with, but need SOMEONE to hear about how awesome their family members are haha.
So why bind yourself to someone if you need multiple people for multiple things? The entire idea of marriage is having one person for everything. It doesn’t work for everyone, of course, but if it doesn’t work for you don’t marry someone that expects it of you. I don’t care if Phillip needs to be fulfilled by 800 other women – his treatment of his marriage and Elizabeth from before they even married is disgusting and unacceptable. He shouldn’t have married her.
I would argue against one person for everything, strongly. My husband is my best friend, absolutely. I trust him to have my back and have my best interest at heart. However, when I bounce professional stuff off him, his perspective is skewed by his absolutely loyalty and support for me. Having multiple people in your life to be a support system in different ways is vital. I have a group of girlfriends, a group of professional friends, coworkers, a good boss, a fantastic mentor… it isn’t fair to ask him to meet all my needs, and same goes.
Bouncing professional stuff off of other people is totally different than sticking you ding dong in a person who isn’t your wife. We all have other friends or confidants for certain things like health, mental well being etc which is totally fine, but this is just on another of betrayal.
The problem I have found is that ever since I moved to a big city 7 years ago (Toronto) from the states, most people up here have a significant other who IS their everything and friends come a very distant third or fourth, maybe 1-2 times a month to get together if you are lucky. Therefore, I have found it difficult to forge strong, deep friendships so that my boyfriend isn’t my everything. I have often wondered if it is an Ontario thing.
@andrea. It might be a more Canadian thing. I find Ontario people far more open and kind than BC people for example(where I am currently trapped) and people from the east coast and prairies are really warm and welcoming. I do think comparatively Canadians are less socially outgoing/more reserved than Americans.
The great thing about Toronto is all the different cultures and people from everywhere!
I met my best friend in TO from Craigslist.
It’s also a getting older thing. I have strong bonds with my high school and college friends because we were young and single with few responsibilities when we met and therefore had tons of time for each other. As I’ve gotten older, it gets harder to make new friends each time I move because there’s just fewer free hours to devote to building that kind of relationship. Between professional obligations, kids, spouse, etc., there just isn’t time.
I feel the same way. I don’t have even one really good friend apart from my husband. I’ll become friends with women, then either they’ll get mad about something or they’ll get a boyfriend and i rarely see them. It’s iffy hanging out with people from work but if you don’t, where do you meet friends then? I would really like some feedback from others with tons of friends. Outside of work, how do you meet friends? I don’t have kids so i don’t have that way to make friends, how else do grown people make friends? I feel many times that i depend too much on my husband and it’s a lot for him. I depend mostly on him for my social, emotional needs and i know it can be draining on him. I mean i could try and go meet friends but how the heck do you do that? You can’t just walk up to someone and be like, hey will you be my friend? Then if you make friends with someone from work and then get into a fight, they’ll go back and tell everyone personal things you told them. Had that happen to me. I honestly don’t know how to make friends?
No, that’s just a work hard culture of Toronto. People don’t have time to forge friendships outside of their significant others or longtime friends. And it isn’t like that in the rest of the province. Toronto and the GTA is very different from the rest of the province.
@Snowflake- If you ever see this, the best way is to force yourself to get out. Take a class for fun or join a group, you’ll be meeting people who have at least one shared interest in common with you. Good luck!
Oh perhaps don’t get married if you don’t think you can be faithful to one person your whole life. I agree that a partner shouldn’t fulfill each relationship goal you’re striving for (best friend, etc.) but if both parties took vows and mutually agreed to stay faithful to each other then one should stay true to that. I doubt (in their younger days) Philip would have been fine if the Queen was bed hopping but she should be totally ok with his whoring around? Again if you want an open marriage then by all means but I doubt what occurred here and in other marriages was just that. If you can’t be monogamous then don’t be…that’s the common sense in me.
Shady as hell.
I don’t think the Queen cares what he does at this age to be honest.
I think he is spending time with someone who he has known most of her life, her family was with him when he was a young man. He can spend his time feeling a connection to his lost friends and relatives, still enjoy her company while he is still able to do his hobbies, like horses.
At 98, his days of chasing women surely must be over. I dont care how great his health seems to be.
Why does every thing have to be so ugly/gossipy?
He and The Queen have spent the majority of their lives working and living together, which is pretty rare. Let them have some peace.
FFS. The Countess is his first cousin. Her father (lord Mountbatten) & phil’s Mother (princess Alice) we’re siblings. SMH She’s probably a familiar & trusted person. Or do they mean Penny, wife of lord mountbatten’s grandson? Hmm
They are referring to Penny, the wife of Lord Mountbatten’s grandson.
Yes, it’s Penny….and l think it really is love. She spends a lot of time at Wood farm, and while Philip couldn’t be bothered to attend the christenings of William’s kids, he has been attending christenings of Penny’s grandchildren.
Maybe it’s because I’m not an English native but is this article suggesting Prince Philip is having an emotional affair with his adoptive sister?
Gross
Completely gross. Can’t an old friend give him a lift without creating a scandal?
I gave my husbands brother an innocent hug. My SIL, his wife, is now telling everyone who will listen that I flirted with her husband and she no longer speaks to me. We were good friends before this. I have been in this family for over 41 years and now at 65 yo I am suddenly after other peoples husbands. Some things are innocent.
I seriously thought I was reading how they were related wrong because it made no sense to me why it’d be insinuated that it was an affair and not just a sibling relationship.
ETA: turns out it’s not his adoptive sister
This is way from the first time this has been put out. These two have been linked for a LONG time. I think they *did* have a physical affair years ago, but have settled into an emotional affair now. Philip always felt entitled to it.
Prince Phillip had an affair with the wife of his adopted sister’s son?
Thank goodness they did away with “semi- arranged royal marriages” because QE 2 got screwed when she and Phillip tied the knot. He is an a$$ in too many ways to even count.
Lizabet loved (loves) him.
There was nothing arranged about the Queens marriage. She loved him. Probably still does.
Plenty of love matches dissolve on cheating scandals too. There are no guarantees in life or love.
That said, this is a non story. He’s 98 and he’s known her forever.
And it’s his sister lol
ETA: I just read down thread she was misidentified as his adoptive sister and is actually more of a sister-in-law
Elizabeth’s family didn’t want her to marry him. She fought for him and married him despite what everyone said. She was always soo in love with him.
Thanks my bad, I thought he was one of her options because he was a royal. That makes it worse and him even more of an a$$
Yeah, she had to fight to marry him. Although he had been a lieutenant in the British Navy during WWII he had multiple sisters who were married to various German princes/Nazi bigwigs which was of course controversial as heck in 1947 Britain. He was pretty gorgeous at the time too which probably helped catch young Elizabeth’s eye.
I think he is just spending time with an old friend, but the shade in the article did make me chuckle.
What I can’t understand if Prince Philip is such a horrible person, why is he the favorite Royal to staff at Buckingham Palace.
Well, he always seemed to understand the job. That probably makes the job of the staff easier.
Perhaps the staff at BP are not composed of Ethiopians, Chinese, Kenyans, Bangladeshis, or any of the other many, many people of color subjected to Philip’s racist taunts over the years.
This woman is not the daughter of Lord Mountbatten – she died in 2017. This woman is the wife of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl of Mountbatten.
Yes, you’re right. I was about to post this too. Penny is the former Penny Romsey who is rumoured to have been a “close friend” of Phillip for many years. She is the ex-wife of Lord Louis Mountbatten’s grandson.
@Cerys are Penny and Norton divorced now? I thought they were doing the married/separate lives things–I know some years ago he moved to a tropical island with another woman but I thought he came back to England.
@Cerys, wasn’t Penny a good “friend” of Prince Charles too? That name seems to have been one thrown around a lot during the Charles/Diana days.
Penny and Norton were good friends with Charles. In 1982 when Diana was pregnant with William, and went on vacation with Charles to the Bahamas and the paparazzi took her ‘pregnant bikini’ pictures, that was a vacation they were on with Penny and Norton.
I assume Penny is still close with Charles, as she appears to be a favorite of the royals. and Charles walked Penny and Norton’s daughter down the aisle at her wedding a few years back (even though Norton was there). But Norton may be frozen out from the royal friendships ever since he cheated on Penny.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2587612/The-love-cheat-Lord-wife-forgive-After-walking-away-31-year-marriage-Lord-Brabourne-banished-barn-6-000-acre-estate.html
Whoa! Penny is 66! For sure she could find someone else to hang out with. I googled the Countess Mountbatten I thought this can’t be his side piece cause she’s dead. But it would actually be more appropriate now I think…
Let’s keep it real. Lots of royal marriages are about duty first. Marrying for love is something that became more prevalent after the Charles and Diana debacle. The rumors about Prince Philip’s mistresses have been around for decades.
Also, a lot of comments are suggesting that Prince Philip is too old for sexual urges. Well let me tell you that is not true. My mother worked at a nursing home for over 30 years, and several of the elderly people living in the facility still had very active sex lives with each other.
They’re so many stories about outbreaks STD in nursing homes it’s not funny.
It was on the News awhile back, this daughter wanted to sue a nursing home, because her mother caught a STD, saying they did not take care of her properly, the nursing home comeback, was they can’t keep consenting adults from having sex.
Yep! I don’t know why some people think that men and women over the age of 65 no longer have sex. Just look at all the men in their 70s and 80s who are still producing children with younger women. Also, my grandmother didn’t wait long at all to start dating once she became a widow. Senior citizens still have sexual desires and needs!
This is interesting information.
The current Countess is not Patricia Knatchbull (sister of Pamela Hicks); she died in 2017. Penelope Knatchball, the new Countess, is the wife of Patricia’s son.
Prince Philip was adopted by Louis Dickie Mountbatten, whose daughter was Patricia Knatchbull. Patricia’s son is married to Penny, the current Countess. Which makes Penny sort of Philip’s adoptive daughter-in-law.
That makes more sense as to why it’d be insinuated they were having an affair
In addition to being an “adoptive father” to Philip, Lord Louis Mountbatten was also actually Philip’s uncle–the brother of Philip’s mother Alice (who was born Princess Alice of Battenberg).
Okay, I keep seeing this “adoptive father” thing and…it was not a legal/formal adoption thing, right? More like PP was the son Lord Mountbatten never had, or a family member that he closely mentored, etc. And definitely he pushed for the marriage to QEII. I don’t think (though it has been a while since I read any Mountbatten biographies) that PP say, lived with the family, for any extended periods. So while the Countess Mountbatten is a distant blood relation, this is not like having an affair with your adopted sister (or your adopted sister’s daughter) in the sense of someone you actually grew up with/shared a home with, etc.
Anyway, the whole writing style is incredibly shady but as others have said, I suspect at this point TQ is over it or at least unsurprised.
yeah, exactly, He was a father figure to Philip (and to Charles actually too!). In relatedness terms though, he was uncle to Philip and great-uncle to Charles.
No it doesn’t…If Patricia is his sister thru adoption…then her son is his nephew and the wife Penny is the nephew’s wife…NO RELATION thru blood. I honestly don’t know if she has a title other than the wife of his nephew. Anyone out there have another opinion to help here?
I think Penny sort of took over the running of the estate when her husband took off with another woman and moved out. He came back, tail between his legs, but I read that they are not living together, he is living in one off the cottages on the estate. Lots of problems with their older son, Nicholas, who had a major drug problem. And you know their daughter Leonore died of cancer at age 4. So I guess now Penny is more or less free, but there been lots of rumours over the years about her and the Duke.
An affair with a relative? I’m not thinking so. How many nieces are close with uncle’s? Especially if they’re paid by them (chauffeur) you’d see them together. He’s shady, but not sure this is tea worthy.
Also the Queen isn’t coming to check on him. After Holyrood week she always goes there every year. Which is why Phillips already there waiting for her.
Philip is not biologically related to Penny (current Countess Mountbatten).
Her husband, Norton, is the son of one of Philip’s first cousins– Patricia, the former Countess Mountbatten and daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten. Louis Mountbatten was the uncle of Philip and was often referred to as his “adoptive father” (not legally) because he took Philip under his wing – despite being royals (Princess Alice of Battenberg and Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark), Philip’s parents had uh, troubled lives.
You don’t need to be a blood relative to be a relative and someone you are close to in a family way.
I just explained that same thing above on another post…and I’m an American who knows little about the British family or their shady pasts. Thanks for confirming what I believed to be the real connection of these two people…Philip and Penny.
@Kendra… I know, but the way this story was written was quite confusing (as it was identifying Penny, the current Countess, as her dead mother-in-law who was Philip’s first cousin) so it is worth clarifying who is who.
And honestly the way the various royal families over the years have intermarried and married first cousins, etc., even Penny’s husband is not that close a relation of Philip. For god’s sakes Lord Louis Mountbatten was trying to get Prince Charles to marry Norton (Penny’s husband’s) sister Amanda in the 1970s. This is not some platonic family bunch.
The countess of Mountbatten died in 2017?
you missed that the name “penny” is in the article. google that with the term “countess of mountbatten” and you’ll find her.
Elizabeth always was crazy about Philip. He loved her in his own fashion but mostly was advised not to give up the opportunity of marrying her when he had no other prospects (Dickie Mountbatten told him so). He’s always been unfaithful, however their relationship has been.
Lady Penelope Eastwood is the current Countess of Mountbatten. She married the eldest son of Patricia Knatchbull (who was indeed the daughter of Dickie Mountbatten). She is not a relative, so I’m not sure we can rule out any affair.
Penny and Philip have been an item for decades.
Also Philip had a very long affair with the Queens cousin in the 50s and 60s. The Queen is very stoical.
This woman has been a rumored other woman of Prince Phillip’s for 40 years! There are pictures of the two laughing in the 1970’s. Clearly, they have had an arrangement for quite some time and he wants to be around her as much as possible before he kicks it. You hear of stories all the time of people being with their mistresses when they die.
That’s what I thought. Is she the one he was talking to when that photo of Elizabeth giving a side eye took place?
Not sure? But here she is. Check out the cute pic of Penny and Phillip riding little motorbikes together.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2019020467375/the-queen-prince-philip-penelope-knatchbull-countess-mountbatten-burma/
That’s her! She was/is quite striking!! Looks like she leads separate lives with her husband now from what I have read. He was quite the dashing fellow as well.
I wonder if Phillip is going to send a human rights letter to the Daily Mail.
Here’s a good one. Penny’s daughter Alexandra married in 2016 and a a baby last year. Prince Phillip is one the godparents! A godparent at 97!
That’s right! Also, Alexandra was walked down the aisle at her wedding by Prince Charles, not her father, even though her father was present at the wedding, it was said he was not up to walking her down the aisle.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018051848720/prince-charles-walked-alexandra-knatchbull-down-the-aisle/
Even further evidence that Penny is his long time affair.
Do you guys know if the queen had other paramours during periods when Prince Philip was at the very least emotionally absent?
That is what the rumors say. The rumor-mongers claim one of the younger brothers (Andrew, I think) is not Philip’s but I’m sure that is trash.
I won’t lie … after reading the comments up-thread about how she’s “so-and-so’s ex wife’s dog walkers neighbours milkman” … I am thoroughly confused about who is (or isn’t) related to whom!
Nevertheless, if two people enjoy each others company, good for them 😉
Penny Mountbatten is one of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite people in the world. She loves having her for company. I don ‘t think there is or was an affair.
Just to point out that it was her Mother who was ‘ of Burma’ not her, she’s a generation down and Prince Philip has always been a Mountbatten at heart. I’m sure she is regarded as a daughter or niece to him, nothing romantic, but is on his wavelength unlike most of his own children. She is fulfilling this role as they age and have lots of family in common.
Not denying he was a philanderer all these years although he. supported and backed the Queen in her attention to duty. It was obvious that the Queen adored him for all his flaws, just as she does Prince Andrew, and she’ll mourn him greatly when he’s gone.
Not all relationships are sexual or romantic. What a regressive attitude just because you don’t like him.
God forbid, someone wants to just retire and chill and have someone who’s a relative and trusted person take care of them.
I think the Queen fell out of love with Phillip long ago, but she tried like most women to rein him in with more children, which for me has always explained that 10 year difference between her second and third children. Kate is following in a similar path.
QEII is so lucky social media wasn’t around during Phillip’s less discreet years.
You are so right, he has gotten away with a lot….he makes
Charles look like an angel.
How is Kate following a similar path? She had 3 kids in 5 years.
It is different for Kate, but for me the similarity is I think she keeps having kids to keep William inline. That’s my opinion at least. It also doesn’t hurt in securing her position, which is sort of the point overall. Though, for the Queen, I think it was more about keeping Phillip inline.
As I read the comments all I can think about is Kate and Rose. TQ probably feels Kate should pretend nothing is going on with Rose/William as she has done for all of these years! WOW, explains so much!!
Question from an American living in Burma (Myanmar): how is there a British title of white people ‘of Burma’? Do other former colonies still have random white people in Great Britain wandering around with ‘of Kenya’ or ‘of India’ in their titles?
It’s my understanding that Penny is a also very close friend to the Queen, herself, and is a member of the royal family (by marriage). Prince Charles was the best man at Penny’s wedding to the Earl of Mountbatten. Also, after the Earl & Countess divorced, the Queen and Prince Phillip were 100% Team Penny, and kept her in the royal circle.
IF there are any shenanigans going on between Prince Phillip and Penny, the Queen knows all about it, and I don’t know if the Queen would be so close to someone who is schtupping her husband. I’m on the fence.
The Queen knows what is going on and accepted the relationship long ago.
One can be extremely fond of friends and or relatives and wish to spend time with them without having sex! No wonder people are lonely when widowed. Fixation on a marriage partner as one’s only source of friendship is unhealthy and weird. Even close friendships with the same sex are now construed as ‘doing it’. FFS!
The BRF is the best soap opera available.
The Queen doesn’t care “I know Philip needs a lot of entertaining” were her words to one of her cousins when gossip over Penny hit the headlines years ago and she didn’t mean a carriage drive. She doesn’t doesn’t mind , she only cares when it becomes gossip. She has always known Philip was going nowhere, he might complain sometimes but he knows which side his bread is buttered on. They are both people who’s head will always overule their heart.
They live the aristocratic life, heir and a spare and live your own life, the Queen and Philip know the score and the rules and have settled into it, I do believe they are best friends and love each other , but their lives are very different to ours and they look at duty and marriage quite differently than the non-aristocracy does.
Keep your head in the sand all you like about QEII but she has also had her flings.