Rumors that Prince Philip was less than faithful to Queen Elizabeth dogged the royal couple for most of their marriage. The Crown explored these rumors early on, and season five of the Netflix series will reportedly dig deep into Prince Philip's very special relationship with Penny Knatchbull.
The streaming platform appeared to justify the choice to portray the relationship between the two to The Sun. An insider explained, "This is a relationship which naturally raised a few eyebrows and sparked quite a few whispers, but Philip and Penny maintained they were just friends. The makers of The Crown believe it is a relationship worthy of exploring and casting a veteran actor like Natascha [McElhone] is a reflection of how high profile the role is."
But who is Penny Knatchbull, and what kind of friendship did she and Prince Philip really have? Let's dig in.
Penny Knatchbull gained royal status when she married Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in 1979. Norton is Prince Philip's godson, and Penny was born about six weeks before Queen Elizabeth enjoyed her coronation.
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The ties between the two families are deep. Prince Charles was Norton's best man at the wedding, and Penny and Norton ended up moving to Broadlands in Hampshire, where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had spent their own honeymoon.
Prince Philip and Penny reportedly bonded after he taught her carriage driving, and the relationship escalated to the point that palace staff had a nickname for her. As explained by The Sun, "[S]he has been so much a part of royal life, household staff nicknamed her 'And Also', because whenever Philip listed guests who were to be invited to a royal do, he would end with 'and also Penny.'"
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward implied in her book Prince Philip Revealed that the two may have enjoyed something that goes beyond a typical friendship:
"When I saw Philip and Penny gilding around the dance floor at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during Cowes Week, neither of them gave a damn who saw them or what anyone might say."
But the two are said to have truly bonded in 1991, after the tragic death of Penny's 5-year-old daughter, Leonora. One source told The Sun that Prince Philip helped Penny through her pain: "He was a tremendous support during a time of unimaginable grief."
Ingrid Seward also stated that if the Queen was hurt by any kind of relationship between Prince Philip and Penny, she never showed it: "We’ll never know how the Queen felt about it all. Philip always was a flirt and the Queen used to joke about his lascivious nature. If she had been hurt by rumours of supposed dalliances, she would never let on."
After 31 years of marriage, Penny and Norton divorced in 2010, after Norton ran off to the Caribbean to live with girlfriend Eugenie Nuttall, known as Jeannie. Penny reportedly took on managing the pair's home herself, with The Sun noting that Penny gathered the household staff and told them about his departure while he was still in the air: "Not for a moment would Penny allow her husband’s departure to interrupt the smooth running of the estate."
After Prince Philip retired from royal duties in 2017, he was typically visited by his family members and a few friends, including Penny. Ingrid Seward said that Penny was truly a confidant of the entire family, not just Prince Philip:
"They were brought together by tragedy but were there for each other through thick and thin. He trusted her implicitly and she adored him. She never betrayed him. She was a keeper not only of his secrets but those of the family."
