How Prince Philip’s ‘Ladies Man’ Reputation Almost Ruined Relationship With Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have been married for 71 years, but before the couple settled down, the Duke of Edinburgh was known as a “ladies man.” At the time, his notorious reputation threatened to ruin any chance he had of making the British heir his wife.

Although the couple announced their engagement in July 1947, following the approval of Elizabeth’s father King George VI, the ruler was reportedly unhappy about his daughter marrying the naval officer.

During an appearance on 9Honey’s The Windsors podcast, royal commentator Victoria Arbiter revealed King George, along with other members of the royal family believed Elizabeth was too young to get married and didn’t approve of Prince Philip’s raunchy reputation.

While George believed Philip wasn’t suitable for his daughter, he allowed the couple to become engaged on the condition that they delayed their formal engagement announcement until after Elizabeth turned 21 years old.

Although it is rumored that the request was made due to the future queen’s young age, “The Royals in Australia” author Juliet Rieden, believes King George had ulterior motives.

“I think he wanted to see whether it would last the distance, but absence definitely made the heart grow fonder and the Queen was assured that she was going to marry this man,” Rieden said.

Since they’ve been married, Queen Elizabeth has taken several occasions to publicly comment on her admiration of Prince Philip, and once revealed she believes he “has made an invaluable contribution” to her life.