For the past seventy years, Prince Philip, the most fiercely competitive of men, has had to walk two paces behind his wife in public. It could have been an impossible role for a man of his temperament, but fortunately the Queen is the kind of traditionalist who believes a man should be the master of his own home. She has always appreciated how difficult it is for someone so obsessed with his masculine image as her husband to have a wife who always takes precedence over him. If compromise is marriage’s essential ingredient, it has been especially vital to the Queen and Prince Philip. Theirs is a surprisingly small world from which there is no escape. In their personal affairs, they have only each other to turn to for comfort and support. And, living on top of each other as they do, each must make allowances for the other if life is not to become so claustrophobic as to be unbearable.

The Queen and Prince Philip made their accommodations early in their union and their marriage has been a success because of it. They remain close and, even after seven decades, the Queen’s face lights up when Philip enters a room. When she first took the unexpected reins of the monarchy in 1952, she was overwhelmed by the masculine pressures of the court while struggling to come to terms with the untimely death of her father. Without appearing to do so, Prince Philip took on the unlikely role of champion to his wife and became both mother and father to their children, allowing the Queen to deal with the requirements of her position.

Until now, in the year he decided to announce he would give up his official duties, Prince Philip’s contribution to the royal marriage and everything it entails has been largely unrecognised, and I hope this book will help redress that oversight.

Over the years, the Queen and Prince Philip have tried to keep control of the speculation and intrusion into their private lives and that of their family. However, they have often been faced with a press who seldom appear to worry if the stories are true – so long as they provide sensational headlines.