Friends of Philip knew, as a man who always had an eye for a pretty woman but who also gets bored easily, he was certain to find her intelligent and amusing company irresistible. He taught her the rudiments of carriage driving, at which she excelled, and now, at an age when the Duke is unable to do much carriage driving, he has found another reason for them to spend time together – painting in watercolours. Philip has always liked to flirt and make suggestive remarks, and the Queen is the first one to make jokes about his lascivious nature.

If all of these stories were to be heard in a trial for divorce, there is certainly not enough evidence of both desire or opportunity on Philip’s part to permit a judge to reach a definite conclusion on this score. What the Queen feels about it all, we will never know. She would never let on that she might have been hurt when the rumours of her husband’s supposed dalliances reached her ears. Or perhaps they never did. It is quite possible she would have been the last one to ever know and, even if she did, she could have buried her head in the sand and pretended it wasn’t happening. It was lucky for him that the Queen has what many would consider an old-fashioned view of marriage and always advocated accepting a husband for what he is. In her early thirties she once remarked: ‘There’s nothing worse than to fence a man in and stop him from doing what he wants.’

With her approval, Philip has managed to get through his life doing just that. Her serene acceptance of the man has kept the marriage alive, and within the home she has always deferred to him. She has always been wise enough to appreciate his phenomenal energy and let him get on with things. He, in turn, has been her greatest support and has always protected her. And their partnership was about to produce another new arrival.

Chapter 8

BRINGING UP ANDREW AND EDWARD