7 Shocking Secrets About Young Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip's Forbidden Royal Romance

The enduring love story of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is one of the most chronicled romances in modern history, yet even now, in late 2025, new biographical insights and documentary perspectives continue to reveal the shocking complexity of their early years. Their relationship, which began when Elizabeth was a besotted teenager, was far from the fairy tale often portrayed, facing fierce opposition from the Royal Court, a tumultuous wartime separation, and Prince Philip's own dramatic, almost rootless, background. This article dives into the deepest, most recently highlighted secrets of their young romance, painting a picture of two determined individuals fighting for love against the rigid traditions of the British monarchy.

The core of their relationship was a fierce, unwavering devotion that started with a schoolgirl crush and blossomed into the longest royal marriage in history. The fresh analysis of their early correspondence and the recently detailed accounts of the Royal Family's private life during the 1940s highlight just how much the future Queen fought to marry the man she loved, a man whom many in the "Royal Firm" considered an unsuitable foreign prince.

Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth: The Young Royals' Biography Profile

• Full Name (Elizabeth): Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor
• Full Name (Philip): Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (later Philip Mountbatten)
• Born (Elizabeth): April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London
• Born (Philip): June 10, 1921, on the island of Corfu, Greece
• Parents (Elizabeth): King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
• Parents (Philip): Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg
• First Meeting: 1934, at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Prince George, Duke of Kent.
• The Turning Point: July 1939, at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, when Elizabeth (age 13) publicly declared she was "in love" with Philip (age 18).
• Wartime Service (Philip): Served with distinction in the Royal Navy throughout World War II, including the Battle of Cape Matapan and the invasion of Sicily.
• Engagement Announced: July 9, 1947
• Wedding Date: November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey.
• Titles After Marriage: Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.

The Foreign Prince: Philip's Tumultuous Early Life and "Unsuitability"

One of the most compelling aspects of their early romance, frequently revisited in recent biographies, is the stark contrast between Elizabeth's sheltered life and Philip's turbulent, almost nomadic, upbringing. Philip was a Prince of Greece and Denmark, but his family was exiled from Greece when he was just a baby, forcing him to spend his childhood bouncing between relatives in France, Germany, and the UK.

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This background, coupled with his blunt, outspoken nature, made him a deeply controversial choice for the future Queen in the eyes of the Royal Court and the establishment.

• The Name Change: Before the wedding, Philip was required to renounce his Greek and Danish royal titles and become a naturalized British subject. He adopted the surname Mountbatten, a name derived from his mother's family, the Battenbergs.
• The Nazi Connection: A darker secret that fueled courtier opposition was that all four of Philip's elder sisters—Princess Margarita, Princess Theodora, Princess Cecilie, and Princess Sophie—were married to German princes, some of whom had ties to the Nazi party. The sensitivity of this connection, so soon after World War II, meant none of his German relatives were invited to the 1947 wedding.
• The Financial Scrutiny: Philip was often perceived by the courtiers as "penniless" and ambitious, lacking the wealth and established British pedigree they expected for the Queen's consort. This perception created a narrative that Elizabeth had to actively fight against to defend her choice.

King George VI's Secret Reservations and the "Us Four" Dynamic

While King George VI eventually gave his blessing, recent historical accounts emphasize his deep reluctance and the emotional toll the engagement took on him. The King and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother were famously a close, insular unit with their two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, affectionately known as "Us Four."

The prospect of Elizabeth marrying and leaving the core family unit was a source of great sadness for the King, who felt the "Royal Firm" was about to be irrevocably changed.

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The King's primary reservations were twofold:

1. Elizabeth's Age: The King felt his daughter was "too young" to commit to marriage, having only turned 21, and strongly suggested they wait. Elizabeth, however, was resolute, having been "in love" with Philip since she was 13.
2. Philip's Character: Courtiers, often referred to as the "Keepers of the Gate," were suspicious of Philip's "un-English" manners and his forceful personality, fearing he would try to dominate the future Queen. The King, while personally fond of Philip, was influenced by this strong court opposition.

The King ultimately consented, but only after Elizabeth made it clear that her mind was made up. The engagement was kept secret for a year until Elizabeth turned 21, a period of intense negotiation and planning to manage the public perception of the controversial match.

The Wartime Correspondence and the Power of Letters

Their relationship was forged in the crucible of World War II. After their significant meeting at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 1939, when Philip was a dashing naval cadet, the pair began an intense correspondence that lasted throughout the war.

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This exchange of letters, often highlighted in recent documentaries like the 2024 production *Elizabeth & Philip: Eternally Yours*, was the foundation of their bond. Philip, serving in the Royal Navy and seeing active combat in the Mediterranean and Pacific, would write to Elizabeth, who was safely at home but active in her own way, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) as a driver and mechanic.

• Emotional Anchor: For Elizabeth, Philip's letters were a vital emotional anchor during the darkest days of the war. They allowed her to develop a deep, private connection with him away from the watchful eyes of her parents and the court.
• Secret Proposal: The couple reportedly became secretly engaged in 1946, a year before the official announcement. Philip proposed at Balmoral, and Elizabeth accepted immediately, without consulting her parents. King George VI only formally approved the engagement later, on the condition that the official announcement be delayed until after the Royal Family returned from a tour of South Africa.

The Post-War Wedding and The Broken Tiara Drama

The wedding on November 20, 1947, was a beacon of hope for a nation still recovering from the devastation of World War II. It was a moment of national celebration, but it was not without its dramas, which new accounts often detail.

The most famous hiccup was the dramatic breaking of the Queen's tiara just hours before the ceremony.

• The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara: As Princess Elizabeth was getting ready at Buckingham Palace, the tiara, which was an antique loaned by her mother, snapped in two.
• The Quick Fix: A Royal Jeweller was immediately rushed to the palace under police escort to repair the tiara. He managed a quick-witted repair, but the small gap in the central section is still visible in some close-up wedding photos, a testament to the last-minute drama.
• The Ration Coupons: The wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, was made of duchesse satin and embroidered with 10,000 seed pearls. Because the UK was still under post-war austerity and rationing, Elizabeth had to save up her own ration coupons and was even given 200 extra coupons by the government to purchase the material.

The Two-Part Honeymoon at Broadlands and Birkhall

The honeymoon itself was a blend of grand tradition and quiet intimacy, a detail that perfectly encapsulates the couple's early life together. They split their honeymoon into two distinct parts, giving them a taste of both the grand royal life and the private country retreat.

1. Broadlands (Hampshire): The first stop was Broadlands, the stately home of Philip’s uncle, Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (often known as Lord Mountbatten). This choice highlighted the powerful influence of the Mountbatten family in orchestrating the match and providing Philip with a British base.
2. Birkhall (Balmoral Estate): They then travelled to the more private, rustic setting of Birkhall, a house on the Balmoral estate in Scotland. This second phase allowed the newlyweds to escape the press and the formality, enjoying a more normal, secluded time together, including taking their beloved pet Corgi, Susan, with them.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Sacrifice and Early Career

A final, often-overlooked secret of their young life is the significant professional sacrifice Philip made for his marriage. Having served with distinction in the Royal Navy during the war, Philip had a promising career ahead of him. After the wedding, he was keen to continue his naval service, a desire Elizabeth fully supported.

The couple lived a relatively normal life for a brief period in Malta, where Philip was stationed as an officer in the early 1950s. Elizabeth was a naval wife, and they enjoyed a period of relative freedom. However, this normalcy was abruptly shattered by the premature death of King George VI in 1952.

At the age of 31, Philip was forced to abandon his naval career to become the Queen's consort, a role that required him to walk "two paces behind" his wife for the rest of his life. This sacrifice, and the subsequent struggle to define his role, is a central theme in understanding the early years of their marriage and the deep commitment he made to the Crown and to Elizabeth.