Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Personal life

Throughout his marriage, rumours spread concerning the Duke's alleged extra-marital affairs. The first public media report of the allegation appeared in 1957 in the Baltimore Sun, which claimed REPORT QUEEN, DUKE IN RIFT OVER PARTY GIRL. Buckingham Palace in a breach with precedent commented on the story, denying it in a forthright manner.

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Rumours, some published, many hinted at with references to a "senior royal" being a "ladies' man" continued throughout his marriage. Australia's Woman's Day front page once promised readers a detailed exposé of 'Prince Philip's torrid sex life' with his 'famous lovers named'; The Tatler once published Philip's 'fan club', a list of famous women close to him, implying that they were his mistresses. Author Nicholas Davies suggested the Prince's supposed lovers included his cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, film-star Merle Oberon, and Susan Barrantes, mother of Sarah, Duchess of York. One rumour even claimed Philip had a homosexual affair with former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, while the most widely believed list of 'lovers' included actress Pat Kirkwood, 1950s personality Katie Boyle, and Hélene Cordet, a childhood friend with whom he supposedly had children. Respected Royal biographer of King George VI and Elizabeth II Sarah Bradford expressed her belief that Philip had committed adultery. It was even suggested by Lauren Bacall that Philip used his 'close friends' the actors David Niven and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr to act as his beard, with them pretending to be escorting women in Philip's company who were in reality his girlfriends.

Related Topics:
Australia - The Tatler - Princess Alexandra of Kent - Film - Merle Oberon - Susan Barrantes - Sarah, Duchess of York - Homosexual - President of France - Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - Pat Kirkwood - 1950s - Katie Boyle - Hélene Cordet - Sarah Bradford - Lauren Bacall - Actor - David Niven - Douglas Fairbanks, Jr - Beard

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One German newspaper even claimed in 1995 that Buckingham Palace had confirmed that Prince Philip was the father of twenty-four illegitimate children, only to retract the claim when they realised that they had mistranslated information from the Palace and that it had said he had twenty-four godchildren. (However, Kitty Kelley claims in her book The Royals that it is a tradition for British royals to be godparents to their illegitimate children, and that several of Philip's godchildren are indeed his offspring.)

Related Topics:
German - 1995 - Illegitimate - Godchildren - Kitty Kelley

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However the Prince's most recent biographer, Gyles Brandreth, who interviewed Prince Philip, Kirkwood, Boyle, Cordet and friends, concluded that all the rumours were untrue; Kirkwood only met Philip socially on a handful of occasions, as did Boyle. The rumours concerning Cordet originated because she had had two children with her future second husband while separated from her first husband, but had declined at the time to name the father of her children, leading to rumours that it was her close friend Philip who was the father. Nor were Niven nor Fairbanks, contrary to Bacall's claims, more than casual acquaintences of Philip's whom he barely knew. Brandeth concluded that Philip had not had any sexual relationship outside his marriage, believing that it would have been out of character, given his personal devotion to the Queen, and also no independent verified evidence, even in the most widely believed cases, could be found. Philip himself noted how his face is internationally recognised and that he has been accompanied continually since 1947 by police and detectives, so that extra-marital relationships could not have been carried out and had they been, would invariably had been discovered. While the rumours spread, no British tabloid has ever unearthed evidence to support the claims.{{ref|Brandreth}}

Related Topics:
Gyles Brandreth - 1947 - Tabloid

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