--- description: Royal insiders knew that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's marriage wasn't quite as easy to keep up as some might have thought. title: Prince Philip Was Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Strength and Stay.’ Their Marriage Was Also Incredibly Complex image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt947c7e6c182a75da/698a1751e76ad206dd638a25/prince-philip-queen-elizabeth-flight.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [remembrance](/tag/remembrance/) ## remembrance Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Prince Philip Was Queen Elizabeth’s 'Strength and Stay.' Their Marriage Was Also Incredibly Complex  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:35 AM CUTPublished: Apr 9, 2021 11:34 AM CUT  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip fly back from a visit to Yorkshire in an Andover of the Queen's Flight, in a photo taken during the filming of the joint ITV-BBC film documentary The Royal Family, in 1969. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip fly back from a visit to Yorkshire in an Andover of the Queen's Flight, in a photo taken during the filming of the joint ITV-BBC film documentary The Royal Family, in 1969.Bettmann Archive/Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:35 AM CUTPublished: Apr 9, 2021 11:34 AM CUT Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died on Friday, nearly four years [after officially retiring from public duties ](http://time.com/4883748/prince-philip-queen-elizabeth-watch-online/ "undefined")in August 2017\. He was 99. He had been married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years, since the two wed at Westminster Abbey on Nov. 20, 1947\. To outsiders, it looked as if they had the perfect romance, between their fairy tale wedding—[the first British royal wedding](http://time.com/5032046/elizabeth-philip-wedding-70th-anniversary/ "undefined") to be broadcast live—and their shared love for the [Rodgers and Hammerstein musical _Oklahoma!_](http://time.com/5168101/queen-prince-philip-oklahoma/ "undefined") (especially the song “People Will Say We’re in Love”). On the occasion of their 50th anniversary in 1997, the Queen [noted](https://www.royal.uk/golden-wedding-speech "undefined") in a speech that he had been an often-hidden force in keeping her steady at the helm for half a century: --- > “” ---  Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, walk during their honeymoon at Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire, Nov. 24, 1947. Topical Press Agency/Getty Images But royal insiders knew that the marriage wasn’t quite as easy to keep up as some might have thought. That side of the story has more recently been depicted on the hit Netflix series _The Crown._ In the fictional show’s first season, the actor Matt Smith depicts the royal as struggling to play second fiddle to his more high-profile wife after she becomes the Queen of England. [TIME’s Oct. 21, 1957, cover story](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,937935-10,00.html "undefined") on Prince Philip also noted that Elizabeth’s family scoffed at his less well-off upbringing—though it was actually a boon to the family from a public relations perspective because he was seen as the more relatable one. In 2016, in light of the show’s debut, TIME explained what to know about how their marriage began: “Philip met Elizabeth, his third cousin, when they were children. From the time she was 13, she was besotted…She never fell for another man, though he had other relationships while she grew into adulthood. As suggested in the first episode of _The Crown_, Elizabeth’s family did not approve of the match.”  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Balmoral, Scotland, 1972. Fox Photos/Getty Images [_Click here to read the whole article_](http://time.com/4555148/queen-elizabeth-prince-philip-marriage-crown-netflix/ "undefined") When the show returned for its second season, TIME[ took a deeper look](http://time.com/5054229/the-crown-season-2-prince-philip/ "undefined") at one of the tensest times in their relationship — and how perhaps their marriage was stronger than the show suggested: --- > “” --- [_Click here to read the whole article_](http://time.com/5054229/the-crown-season-2-prince-philip/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5221353/prince-philip-queen-elizabeth-marriage/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5221353/prince-philip-queen-elizabeth-marriage/"},"headline":"Prince Philip Was Queen Elizabeth’s 'Strength and Stay.' 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