In an age where dynastic marriages were often loveless affairs, and it was taken for granted that princes and kings had mistresses, Albert proved to be the exception. There has never been any suggestion that he was not true to his wedding vows until his untimely death at the age of forty-two. Albert’s horror of infidelity could be traced back to his childhood, when he witnessed at five years old the departure of his beloved mother, who, having been mistreated by his father, embarked on an affair and was banished from the household for ever. A sincere and devout man, if he made vows, he honoured them. It is also clear he was a man of passion, and he and Victoria often sent each other erotic works of art as presents; she was enthralled by her intimacy with him, which produced nine children.

With Philip, however, the story has not been quite so straightforward, perhaps not helped by his membership of the Thursday Club and his life as a sailor. Throughout their long marriage, rumours of his alleged affairs have been rife. Biographers and royal chroniclers have failed to prove the stories that have circulated since the 1940s and no one has come up with convincing evidence to support the allegations.

Even before his engagement, Prince Philip’s love life had come under scrutiny. In 1945, Philip was twenty-four and very good looking; a tall, slim, blond Adonis. He was on active duty in the balmy trade winds of the Pacific with Mike Parker, the Australian fellow naval officer who later became Philip’s equerry. According to Parker, who went on shore leave with Philip: ‘Philip was actually quite reserved. He didn’t give away a lot. There have been books and articles galore saying he played the field. I don’t believe it. People say we were screwing around like nobody’s business. Well, we weren’t.’

Parker did admit in an interview with a biographer of Prince Philip that there were always ‘armfuls of girls’. He later said: ‘Jesus, I wish I’d never used that phrase. What I meant was this: we were young, we had fun, we had a few drinks, we might have gone dancing, but that was it. In Australia, Philip came to meet my family, my sisters and their friends. There were girls galore, but there was no one special. Believe me. I guarantee it.’ There is, of course, no reason why Prince Philip should not have had girlfriends at that time.

Why Parker thought it necessary to defend his friend’s actions when he was not even engaged is not clear, but the subject kept on being raised with him. Years later, Parker said: ‘Philip has been one hundred per cent faithful to the Queen. No ifs, no buts. Take it from me, I know.’ However, as Parker was Philip’s best friend and secretary, some have chosen to take any statement made by him on behalf of Philip with extreme caution.