In that time, her father's chain was sold, and it's traded owners over the decades. They also shared an enthusiasm for races of another kind: mini motorbikes. Bedell Smith notes that Knatchbull was not the first woman with whom Philip had a close female friendship that raised eyebrows. Norton had been a year above Prince Charles at Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun and the Queen and Philip never forgot his kindness in looking after their eldest child during his challenging time there. In the first episode of season 4, Lord Mountbatten was blown up on a fishing boat by the Irish Republican Army (the IRA). She even stayed close through the Duke of Edinburgh's final days. She and the duke also both shared a boisterous sense of humour, according to Ingrid. Asked whether these female friendships ever bothered the queen, Bedell Smith points to a conversation she had with Pamela Hicks, who was a bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting to the late monarch. The house, which formerly belonged to Lord Mountbatten, is to be re-opened to the public. I read that Matt Smith played the part of Phillip with the idea in mind that he was cheating on Elizabeth. The Countess is married to Norton Mountbatten, the grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prince Philip's beloved uncle who died in an IRA bombing in 1979. Nicholas's first child was born in June 2022. Philip took the devastated Knatchbull under his wing. Knatchbull married Philip's godson, Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey, on Oct. 20, 1979. Her husband is Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma . If Philip had been looking down on them, he surely would have been smiling too. She was seen standing behind the Queen, broad grins on both their faces. As for Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce), he develops a close friendship with family friend Penny Knatchbull while experiencing his own marital troubles with the queen. She was diagnosed with cancer and died at age 5. The two bonded when Prince Philip took Knatchbull under his wing and offered support following the death of her 5-year-old daughter, Leonora, to kidney cancer in 1991, according to People. Per the Hampshire Chronicle, Penelope who is known affectionately as Lady Penny in Romsey pledged loyal service to the community. If she had been hurt by rumours of supposed dalliances, she would never let on., Philip himself would simply laugh off any suggestion of impropriety. The Queens former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told the Sun: This is cruel rubbish.. Jeannie, as she is known, is the sister of former Bahamas Attorney General Sean McWeeney. Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, GMB's Kate Garraway reveals crippling cost of caring for her husband Derek, Stephen Bear 'broke behind bars' as his company is shut down before he's jailed, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. A family friend said: Its very unusual to be given away by someone else at your wedding, even if it is by the Prince of Wales. He told journalist Jeremy Paxman: Every time I talk to a woman they say Ive been to bed with her. Penelope Knatchbull (ne Eastwood) is the wife of Norton Knatchbull, the grandson of Earl Mountbatten ( The Crown watchers know him as Uncle Dickie) and Prince Philip's own godson. The Duke of Edinburgh was reportedly smitten by the aristocratic Penny, who, at just 20, was over three decades his junior. News, that was the year Knatchbull's daughter Leonora died of cancer. Alexandra, a financial analyst known as Knatch, chose to marry Thomas Hooper, an entrepreneur, on what would have been her sister Leonoras 30th birthday. Princess Diana seeks revenge, Princess Margaret reunites with an old flame, and many more juicy subplots await in the Netflix seriess most scandal-rich season yet. He trusted her implicitly and she adored him. Born Penelope Meredith Mary Eastwood on April 16, 1953, she is the only daughter of a wealthy business owner and grew up in Switzerland before going on to graduate from the London School of Economics in 1976. Of course, incidents like this on the Isle of Wight only fuelled whispers that they may have been more than just good friends. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. In happier times, she could be seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside the royal family, waving at the crowds and taking in the trooping of the color (per the Irish Times). In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. Penelope Knatchbull, known as Penny, is the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and she met the royal family at a polo match in 1975 when she was 20 years old. The bomb blast on board his fishing boat off County Sligo, Ireland, which featured in the last series of The Crown, also killed Nortons 14-year-old brother Nicholas and his grandmother, Lady Brabourne. However testy that conversation may have gone, Knatchbull remained a visitor to Wood Farm until Philip's death in 2021. JMCrown 3 mo. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. So little wonder the makers of TVs The Crown have delved into the extraordinary relationship between Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull in the new series of the Netflix drama. For their part, Knatchbull and the royals gave no public credence to the rumors. He passed away in April 2021, and this is them hanging in May 2022: Not great! The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Philip always was a flirt and the Queen used to joke about his lascivious nature. She was seen standing behind the Queen, broad grins on both their faces. The Truman Show actress Natascha McElhone plays Penny in The Crown, with veteran actor Jonathan Pryce taking over from Tobias Menzies as Philip. Her surviving children have their own connections to the royal family. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip reached out to the Knatchbulls after the death of their five year-old daughter . She was a keeper not only of his secrets but those of the family.. She was dating Norton Knatchbull,. Indeed, she 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. Alexandra, a financial analyst known as Knatch, chose to marry Thomas Hooper, an entrepreneur, on what would have been her sister Leonoras 30th birthday. There may be no evidence for rumors that Penelope Knatchbull and Prince Philip carried on an affair, but it is a matter of public record that Penelope's own marriage was marred by infidelity. Ingrid says: They were brought together by tragedy but were there for each other through thick and thin. It isn't only the tabloids that have spread the moniker; Ingrid Seward's biography, "Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century," says that Queen Elizabeth II herself shared Philip's fondness for Knatchbull and was just as keen to have her included. She was pictured attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show with him several times over the years and it was in the 1990s that Penny and Prince Philip's bond is understood to have become incredibly close. She never betrayed him. But even before the Big Day, everyone was already spiraling about several plot pointsincluding scenes involving Penny Knatchbull. Philip always had women friends. The Crown's fifth season isn't solely focused on Charles and Diana drama. Here they are driving around Windsor together in 2019: Royal expert Ingrid Seward writes in The Sun that Pennys marriage hit rock bottom at the time and she was left to maintain their family home: Running royal properties was something Philip knew full well, and having bonded with her over horses and carriage driving, their friendship blossomed further. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. However, despite their estrangement, Penelope and Norton remained legally married. Morgan imagined what it was like to be the young queen in the 1950s, when she was routinely confronted with reports of her husbands alleged infidelity. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull to Have "Intimate Scenes" in The Crown Celebrities & Entertainment Celebs The Crown Will Reportedly Feature Prince Philip's Relationship with. The Oscar nominees play the queen and her consort during the mid-'90s, a time period famously rife with scandal for the royal family, in, Prince Harry on Williams Hairline and Their Wicked Stepmother. Philip always was a flirt, and the Queen used to joke about his lascivious nature. To prove that he has nothing to hide, Philip even convinces his wife to befriend Penny (played by Natasha McElhone) herself. Back then, Penny was simply Penelope Eastwood, daughter of Reg Eastwood, a wealthy butcher turned businessman who founded the Angus Steakhouse restaurants. Prince Philip, officially opened and was shown round the new art, drama and dance facilities at the further education college which offers up to 2,000 courses. The Crown dramatizes the optics of Philips public friendship with a woman many years his junior. The grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Lord Romsey, marries Penelope Eastwood at Romsey Abbey on October 20, 1979. If Philip had been looking down on them, he surely would have been smiling too. Norton and Penny Knatchbull on their wedding day. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. All rights reserved. The relationship between Penny Knatchbull and Prince Philip is causing controversy. According to Seward, Knatchbull was part of the difficult conversation following Philips car accident about giving up driving. Indeed, Philip taught Penny the sport of carriage driving, and she was spotted attending the Royal Windsor Horse show with Queen Elizabeth II, People reported. Knatchbull was a friend to all the royal family, not just Philip, and insinuating otherwise so soon after the queen's death was, in Arbiter's eyes, poor taste. Information about the 4th season of The Crown has leaked out and, according to The Sun, the Netflix series will show Knatchbull and Philip in intimate scenes., This has caused controversy. Knatchbull married Philips godson, Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey, on Oct. 20, 1979. And often he was accompanied by a neighbor, a woman who was quite a lot younger, who he had taught to carriage drive. Penny, left to manage her and Nortons 5,000-acre Hampshire estate alone, reportedly gathered together all the staff while her estranged husband was mid-flight and told them he had gone but everything else would stay the same. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. According to Express, Norton had an affair that became public, and Penny ordered him to stay in a converted barn, although she took him back. They were even spotted dancing together at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during one Cowes Week. She was godmother to Alexandra Knatchbull, not Leonora, as the show depicts. According to People, the families were so close that Prince Charles was Nortons best man when he married Penny, and Norton and Pennys home called Broadlands was where Philip and Princess Elizabeth honeymooned in 1947. Nortons relationship to the British royals runs deep, but for starters, he was the grandson of Lord Mountbattenwho viewers of The Crown know was very close to then-Prince Charles. While not among the nobility, the Eastwoods did have a claim to a certain position in British culture. Penny Knatchbull Was Prince Phillip's Best Friend. Theyre also distantly related by blood: Norton is the grandson of of Philips uncle, Louis Mountbatten. The queen was said to have "been impressed" with Knatchbull when Penny's future husband, Norton, introduced them in 1975 (per Daily Express ). The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. "Philip always was a flirt," his biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun. For an example of how ubiquitous Knatchbull's presence in royal events is, just look to Philip's funeral. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. But it was after Pennys five-year-old daughter Leonora died of kidney cancer in 1991 that Philip really began to take her under his wing. Courtesy of Netflix; Steve Parsons/PA Wire. The Daily Mail quoted an anonymous aide saying that when they drew up a guest list for a family function, private or public, big or small, Prince Philip would review the invitations and inevitably say, "and also Penny." Tatler reports that King Charles III is godfather to the Knatchbull's oldest, Nicholas, and that he gave Alexandra away at her wedding to Thomas Hooper in 2016 (Norton was said to be too ill). Penelope Knatchbull (ne Eastwood) is the wife of Norton Knatchbull, the grandson of Earl Mountbatten (The Crown watchers know him as Uncle Dickie) and Prince Philip's own godson. In reality, Knatchbull entered the royal fray in 1979 when she married Prince Charless second cousin Lord Romsey, son and heir of the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Leonora was buried on the grounds of Broadlands, the family estate, and Penelope later established the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund. Penelope Knatchbull and Prince Philip in 2007. Who is Dr James Colthurst, Princess Diana's close friend in The Crown? Penny was introduced to Philip at age 20 while dating husband-to-be Norton Knatchbull, Philip's godson and grandson of the duke's uncle Lord Mountbatten. The now-Countess Penny is believed to have visited him regularly at his retirement cottage at Sandringham before his death, according to the Daily Beast. Philip always was a flirt and the Queen used to joke about his lascivious nature. They were even spotted dancing together at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during one Cowes Week. Jeannie, as she is known, is the sister of former Bahamas Attorney General Sean McWeeney. They later established the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund charity in her memory. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, Penny and Philip's friendship blossomed after the family tragedy. The wedding took place two months after the IRA assassinated Philip's grandfather, Lord Mountbatten, and younger brother, Nicholas. During the 1990s . The Truman Show actress Natascha McElhone plays Penny in The Crown, with veteran actor Jonathan Pryce taking over from Tobias Menzies as Philip. But author Ingrid said: Well never know how the Queen felt about it all. If she had been hurt by rumours of supposed dalliances, she would never let on., Philip himself would simply laugh off any suggestion of impropriety. Would love your thoughts, please comment. By coincidence, Leonora shared the same birthday as Uncle Dickie. The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. Ingrid Seward, author of biography Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century, said: The Queen had enlisted the help of the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who visited Philip and helped convince him to give up driving.. She was a keeper not only of his secrets but those of the family., Meanwhile, back in 2021, The Sun reported that Penny had 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.. Nicholas is in line to inherit the wealth of the Mountbatten family and his father's titles, but he was reportedly once in danger of being disinherited. Netflix has confirmed that this show is indeed a fictional dramatization, shortly after a public slam from the dame. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. The relationship between the First Lord Mountbatten and Philip featured prominently in a previous season of The Crown.. The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. In the series, Philip befriends Knatchbull in 1991 after her five-year-old daughter, Leonora, dies from cancer. Penny was introduced to Philip at age 20 while dating husband-to-be Norton Knatchbull, Philip's godson and grandson of the duke's uncle Lord Mountbatten. Philip also gives sound advice on the running of the Broadlands estate, and they have the ability to cheer each other on even in the direst of circumstances. Their friendship began after Leonoras death: Philip befriended her when her life began to fall apart and encouraged her to take up carriage driving, Seward wrote. Either way, the Queen and Penny remained close even after Philips death. She was seen the next year at the Royal Windsor Host Show, which she had so often attended with him, as a guest of the queen. Three weeks after the accident, which Philip blamed on him being blinded by the low winter sun, it was announced he had stopped driving. Ad Choices. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. Norton, who is also known as Lord Romsey, inherited the ceremonial office of High Steward of Romsey in 1979,according to the Daily Echo, along with the Broadlands estate outside the town center. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Netflix is not interested in peoples feelings. Yikes! Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Earl Mountbatten is a relative of Prince Philips uncle, the first Earl Mountbatten, to whom Philip was exceptionally close. For other inquiries Contact Us. She looked heartbroken when she arrived. Its absolutely cuckoo.. In real life as on Netflix, the story of Uncle Dickie was one of the Royal Familys greatest traumas and tragedies as he was, indeed, murdered by the Irish Republican Army at age 79. Jonathan Pryce, who plays Prince Philip, said hes hugely disappointed by fellow artistes who have called for the Netflix series to get a disclaimer. She is referred to as Lady Romsey in The Crown, a title she held from 1979 to 2005 before becoming Lady Brabourne from 2005 to 2017 and now the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, according to Today. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Dimbleby claims that before his assassination by the IRA, Mountbatten was trying to arrange a marriage between Charles and Norton's sister, Amanda. The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. A family friend said: Its very unusual to be given away by someone else at your wedding, even if it is by the Prince of Wales. ), Penny is the only daughter of Marian Hood and Reginald Eastwoodwho founded Angus Steakhouse. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and Lady Penelope (Penny) Romsey arrive at the Guards Polo Club on June 1, 1975 in Windsor, England. Ingrid Seward, author of biography Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century, said: The Queen had enlisted the help of the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who visited Philip and helped convince him to give up driving.. Penny was the second-most important woman in the Duke of Edinburghs life a constant confidante, loyal companion and keeper of secrets,' she wrote. Attn: everyone wondering if she *really* had an affair with Prince Philip. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. The relationship between Penny Knatchbull and Prince Philip is causing controversy due to the new season of The Crown., Their friendship will be featured in the fifth season of The Crown on Netflix. She was one of the only people apart from family members who he saw at Wood Farm, the five-bedroom home on the Sandringham estate where he spent most of his time after he retired from royal duties in 2017. She was one of the only people apart from family members who he saw at Wood Farm, the five-bedroom home on the Sandringham estate where he spent most of his time after he retired from royal duties in 2017. Norton had been a year above Prince Charles at Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun and the Queen and Philip never forgot his kindness in looking after their eldest child during his challenging time there. She never betrayed him. The queen and prince consort weren't the only royal couple to visit Broadlands. She remained a close companion to Philip for his whole life. The Sun repeated rumors that the two old friends were estranged after a confidante of Charles put it in his ear that Penelope and Philip were having an affair. And if your response to that sentence is literally whomst, you are not alone! Previously, she covered culture at Refinery29 and Oprah Daily. She never betrayed him. She explicitly said, I did not go to bed with him. They shared this passion for Carl Jung that also Prince Charles had.. Express describes Norton as the son of Philips first cousin. What happened to Jeffrey Dahmers brother David. And sources say that Knatchbull also had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth. Knatchbull was one of only 30 people invited to the Duke of Edinburghs funeral, according to The Radio Times. There was never any question she would leave Broadlands, where every day she visits the tall stone monument, about 100 yards from the house, which stands above her daughter Leonoras grave. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. When Philip was involved in a car accident near the Queens Norfolk retreat of Sandringham in January 2019, Her Majesty dispatched Penny to encourage the duke to surrender his drivers licence. A TV insider last year said: The highly personal relationship is unlikely to be welcomed as a storyline by the Queen or the rest of the Royal Family.. The British actor also appeared in The Truman Show, Solaris and The Other Boleyn Girl.. . A source told The Sun in 2021 that 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.