Who Is Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh? True Story About Queen Elizabeth II’s Husband After 'The Crown'

The Netflix series “The Crown” is a fictionalized drama about the British Royal Family, but there are some truths woven into the show. One of the things “The Crown” highlights is the relationship between Queen Elizabeth the II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Philip has an interesting background. He was born in Greece in 1921. He is the son of Prince Andrew and Princess Alice, Biography.com wrote.

His family was exiled from Greece by a revolutionary court in December 1922 after Philip’s uncle, King Constantine I of Greece, was mandated to abandon the throne Sept. 22, 1922. Philip made the journey to France in a cot that was fashioned from a fruit box, Radio Times wrote Monday.

His parents split, with his mother being committed to a psychiatric instruction. His father moved to the south of France with his girlfriend. Philip barely spoke to his father over the years. During World War I, he adopted the surname Mountbatten, which is his mother’s maiden name.

Philip was ultimately raised by a grandmother in England. He went to British schools and became a naturalized British citizen. Despite being born in Greece, he never learned to speak Greek.

One thing some people might not know is that Elizabeth and Philip are related. They have the same great-great-grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Time Magazine revealed Thursday. This makes them third cousins. In fact, marriage between cousins was common for royals.

Elizabeth fell in love with Philip the first time she met him. Her father, King George VI, took her to visit the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth when she was 13 years old. It was Philip, who had just joined in 1939, who showed her around.

Elizabeth wrote about her connection with with Philip in a two-page letter to author Betty Shew, who was writing about the royal wedding. “I was 13 years of age and he was 18 and a cadet just due to leave,” Elizabeth wrote in 1947. “He joined the Navy at the outbreak of war, and I only saw him very occasionally when he was on leave — I suppose about twice in three years. Then when his uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, were away he spent various weekends away with us at Windsor. Then he went to the Pacific and Far East for two years.”

One of the thing “The Crown” touches on is that the English government didn’t want Elizabeth II to marry Philip, Time Magazine wrote. This was true in real life. Of course, Elizabeth went ahead with the marriage anyway.

There is real love between Elizabeth and Philip, according to Claire Foy and Matt Smith, the actors who play the royals on “The Crown.”

“…What's interesting and brave about this show is it doesn't show it as this easy romance,” Smith told E! Online Monday. “It shows it going through real turmoil and the pressure and trauma of becoming queen isn't an easy thing for them to navigate or deal with. I think that dramatically is really engaging.”

While “The Crown” gives a glimpse inside the royal family, the British monarchy denied any association with the series. “’The Crown’ is a fictional drama,” the royal press office told Bustle Friday. “The Royal Household has had no involvement.”

Season 1 of “The Crown” is currently streaming on Netflix.

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