/ norton knatchbull illness. Lady Penny and Prince Philip did become dear friends and bond over riding carriages. 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. 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.. Nicholas's first child was born in June 2022. She knew it was absolutely nothing., Though Philip and Knatchbull never had a romantic relationship, their friendship was undoubtedly close. 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 32 years young than he was, but they developed a close friendship over the years, bonding over their love of outdoor activities and all things equestrian.. Penny and Norton at their wedding in 1979. To her friends, Penelope Knatchbull is known as Penny. They also shared an enthusiasm for races of another kind: mini motorbikes. Her father, Reginald Eastwood, founded the Angus Steakhouse chain, as Nicholas Davies writes in his 2000 Queen Elizabeth biography, "Beyond Palace Doors.". .css-5rg4gn{display:block;font-family:NeueHaasUnica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-5rg4gn:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:-0.02em;margin:0.75rem 0 0;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:0.02rem;margin:0.9375rem 0 0;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;margin:0.9375rem 0 0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-5rg4gn{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;}}'Outer Banks' Season 3 Arrives in February, Riley Keough Explains Sex Scene With Her Husband. The house, which formerly belonged to Lord Mountbatten, is to be re-opened to the public. Philip, though, was the right consort for Elizabeth when they married, and they have stayed in love ever since, despite going through various ups and downs throughout their . Leonora was buried on the grounds of Broadlands, the family estate, and Penelope later established the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund. The mere implication that the duo had an affair did not sit well with royal insiders. According to the book Prince Philip Revealed by Ingrid Seward, as described in People, the author wrote, 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.. Though the relationship between Philip and Knatchbull, who is over 30 years his junior, never crosses into the physically romantic realm on The Crown, the episode insinuates that both found a kind of emotional fulfillment in their friendship that they were not getting from their own marriages. She also appeared at. The Knatchbulls' five-year-old daughter Leonora dies after a 14-month battle with cancer. 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. Philip and Penny are said to have first met when she was dating her husband-to-be aged 20. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The queen and Knatchbull at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2018. Express describes Norton as the son of Philips first cousin. 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. She is one of 30 mourners present, including immediate family members. 690 comment s 1 video The Sun reported that Knatchbull was born in London, England, on April 16, 1963. When they did tie the knot, with Prince Charles as best man, they inherited Mountbattens 18th-century, 60-room Broadlands estate near Romsey, Hants, where Charles and Di would spend part of their honeymoon two years later. Even when they had these moments where Penny actually said, You should not marry Diana. He encouraged Penny to take up his sport of carriage driving, to distract her, and got his head groom Micky Flynn to show her the ropes. 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. Charles is close to the Knatchbull's children (per Tatler), and Dimbley claims in "Prince of Wales" that they were some of his only friends to warn him against his marriage to Diana Spencer. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Penelope was invited to take over as High Steward by the town council. Penelope Knatchbull was still Penelope Eastwood when she first met the royal family. All rights reserved. One source said: He was a tremendous support during a time of unimaginable grief.. 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. A source close to the royal family is slamming Countess Mountbatten's portrayal in "The Crown" as "deliberately cruel" and "unnecessarily unsympathetic." In 1981, when it was in the hands of Penelope and Norton Knatchbull, Prince Charles and Princess Diana spent the first part of their honeymoon there as well. The civil ceremony at Broadlands was a far cry from his sister Alexandras lavish 2016 wedding at Romsey Abbey, in which she was given away by Prince Charles, as her father, The Queen and Philip watched. 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. 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. 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. When they did tie the knot, with Prince Charles as best man, they inherited Mountbattens 18th-century, 60-room Broadlands estate near Romsey, Hants, where Charles and Di would spend part of their honeymoon two years later. Thats a little ironic given [were talking in reference to The Crown], but she did say that. THEIR friendship spanned decades and often raised eyebrows. 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.. Pennys marriage broke down in 2010, after 31 years and three children. She never betrayed him. The couple revisited the estate in 2007 and recreated one of the photos from that time for their 60th wedding anniversary. Following Philips 2021 death, Knatchbull was one of 30 guests invited to the royals funeral. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. One source said at the time: Not for a moment would Penny allow her husbands departure to interrupt the smooth running of the estate.. Educated in Switzerland, and with a business degree from the London School of Economics, friends describe her as being outgoing, engaged, clever and well-read. It's also implied in the movie, The Queen but that is also written by Peter Morgan. Previously, she covered culture at Refinery29 and Oprah Daily. But Charles very specifically told his friends not to come forward in his defense, recalls Bedell Smith. 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.. Her husband Norton, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, fled to the Caribbean to be with fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall. She did allow Norton back to Broadlands in 2014, not to themarital home, but to a converted barn there. THEIR friendship spanned decades and often raised eyebrows. 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. JMCrown 3 mo. News. And as usual, the truth is slightly more complicated. 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. Despite his great age, she still acts as a confidante and they share a boisterous sense of humor. On the inside, behind the large ornate story, their relationship was going through a shift. Sometimes tragedy builds unlikely bonds between people. Penny Knatchbull and Prince Philip's beautiful friendship The friendship with Prince Philip was more public, while her relationship with the Queen was more private, Hello Magazine reported. And Wales Online noted that she has often been seen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, as a guest of the family. And so it was the same kind of thing. 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. Express reported that Penny regularly saw Philip before his death, and the Queen sought her help to get the aging Duke of Edinburgh to stop driving. News, that was the year Knatchbull's daughter Leonora died of cancer. She was the only non-family member at Philips small, Covid-restricted funeral, except for his personal secretary. The Crown dramatizes the optics of Philips public friendship with a woman many years his junior. Jonathan Pryce and Natascha McElhone recreate the relationship between Knatchbull and Philip in The Crown.. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. Jeannie, as she is known, is the sister of former Bahamas Attorney General Sean McWeeney. Im talking about the Countess of Westmorland, the Duchess of Abercorn, clarifies Bedell Smith. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. "The Crown" has exploited these rumors more than once, and previews for its fifth season showed him discussing his marital woes with Knatchbull and showing physical intimacy. The tabloids haven't left Charles and Penelope alone in the years since the wedding. She did allow Norton back to Broadlands in 2014, not to themarital home, but to a converted barn there. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. But the two have continued to have a presence in each other's lives. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Before you start side-eying, Penny was also photographed a ton with Queen Elizabeth II. View our online Press Pack. They were photographed smiling as they watched from their seats. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Who is Dr James Colthurst, Princess Diana's close friend in The Crown? Of course, incidents like this on the Isle of Wight only fuelled whispers that they may have been more than just good friends. They later established the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund charity in her memory. . The queen and prince consort weren't the only royal couple to visit Broadlands. 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. The Daily Mail published photos of Norton and Nuttall strolling through Nassau after the split. 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. She was 32 years younger than the Duke of Edinburgh. The story later shifted, with Charles supposedly the smokescreen that kept prying eyes away from her romance with Norton Knatchbull. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. It was even rumoured Prince Charles had cut off his friendship with Penny after someone close to him shared their suspicion that his father was having an affair with her. Natascha McElhone as Penny Knatchbull. Philip says he thought that Charles . Their companionship continued for years, with Lady Penny seen with Prince Philip and the Queen at Sandringham, horse shows, and other royal events. Penny Knatchbull & Prince Philip Relationship: What Is the Real Story? It was the first season of the series to be released following both the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April 2021 and the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.. Imelda Staunton stars as Elizabeth, along with main cast members Jonathan . Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The two bonded over their hobby of carriage riding, a form of competitive horse riding that the prince took up after retiring from polo in 1971, per Ingrid Seward's 2020 book "Prince Philip Revealed.". The Independent quoted him as answering one such question with, "Good god, woman! By marriage, she's also kin to the royal family. And one more thing connects the couple to the royal family: their house. It traded hands among the nobility for centuries until Mountbatten acquired it by marriage. Speculation generated by The Crown that Knatchbull had an affair with the Duke of Edinburgh is just that; there is no proof of a romantic or sexual entanglement. READ NEXT: What happened to Jeffrey Dahmers brother David? Attn: everyone wondering if she *really* had an affair with Prince Philip. By accepting, she was automatically in the post, but a formal induction ceremony was held in 2011. Her husband Norton, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, fled to the Caribbean to be with fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall. 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. In the series, Philip befriends Knatchbull in 1991 after her five-year-old daughter, Leonora, dies from cancer. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Philip befriended her when her life began to fall apart following the death of her five-year-old daughter, Leonora, from kidney cancer in 1991, wrote Ingrid Seward in 2020s Prince Philip Revealed. He told journalist Jeremy Paxman: Every time I talk to a woman they say Ive been to bed with her. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. Netflix has confirmed that this show is indeed a fictional dramatization, shortly after a public slam from the dame. Apparently, the intimate scenes involve touching hands as he divulges details of his marriage and well actively see them pursuing an affair.. Their relationship was forged through tragedy: Penny Eastwood was the daughter of a very rich meat trader, the founder of the Angus Steakhouse chain, and married Norton Knatchbull, a cousin of Prince Charles and godson of Prince Philip - in 1979 She and the late Queen's husband became particularly close after her five-year-old daughter . Philip also encouraged Knatchbull who also goes by the name Penny Romsey to take up the sport, according to Seward, who also wrote that Philip got his son Edwards wife, Sophie, into it as well; Sophie and her daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, both compete. Knatchbull was one of only 30 people invited to the Duke of Edinburghs funeral, according to The Radio Times. Knatchbull married Philip's godson, Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey, on Oct. 20, 1979. Penny was reportedly introduced to the royal family at a polo match when she was 20 years old. He trusted her implicitly, and she adored him. She was seen standing behind the Queen, broad grins on both their faces. Penny isnt exactly a super-public figure, but shes been a close friend of the royal family for years. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Penny hasnt commented publicly on her or Philips depiction in the show just yet, but stay tuned! THEIR friendship spanned decades and often raised eyebrows. She never betrayed him. She was diagnosed with cancer and died at age 5. Penny is seen joining the Queen and Prince Philip at a church service at Sandringham circa 2012. Philip encouraged her to take up carriage driving and supported her when her husband, Norton, his godson, left her in 2010 for a fling with Nassau-based fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall.. 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. Philip befriended her when her life began to fall apart and encouraged her to take up carriage driving, she wrote, per Today. With Philip and Penny, who was previously known as Lady Romsey then Lady Brabourne, it was a meeting of the minds. However testy that conversation may have gone, Knatchbull remained a visitor to Wood Farm until Philip's death in 2021. And now, in the series fifth season, the first installment to air after Prince Philips and Queen Elizabeths deaths, Morgan returns to this fascination in the episode The System, exploring the idea of spouses growing apart (or, as The Crowns Philip says, growing in separate directions), and introducing the close real-life friendship between Philip (Jonathan Pryce) and his carriage-driving partner Lady Penny Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma (Natascha McElhone). Earl Mountbatten is a relative of Prince Philips uncle, the first Earl Mountbatten, to whom Philip was exceptionally close. Whatever moved Norton to flee Britain and pursue his affair, he seemed to have a change of heart. When asked more broadly about allegations he had affairs, Philip would snap at the press. She gave few interviews and never aired dirty laundry about her family in public. "Philip always was a flirt," his biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun. The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. 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. Their marriage gave her the title of Lady Romsey, later becoming The Lady Brabourne in 2017, and she has now inherited the title of Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Getty Alexandra, a financial analyst known as Knatch, chose to marry Thomas Hooper, an entrepreneur, on what would have been her sister Leonoras 30th birthday. Her marriage troubles came on top of worry about their son, Nicholas, who was a year above Prince William at Eton, and had spent years hooked on crack cocaine and heroin. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. He encouraged Penny to take up his sport of carriage driving, to distract her, and got his head groom Micky Flynn to show her the ropes. Philip's biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun that she dispatched Knatchbull to carry out the difficult task of convincing him to surrender his driver's license. She did say at one point that they had a very close friendship, but it had everything to do with ideas, recalls Bedell Smith. The royal family attended, and Prince Charles, the groom's second cousin, even served as best man. Over the years, Knatchbull has been a guest of the familys at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, appeared with Philip at public events, and been photographed on many an outdoor occasion with the duke. The Full Lyrics to Look at Us Now (Honeycomb), Inside Riley Keoughs 'Daisy Jones' Transformation, Tracy Oliver on That Harlem Season 2 Finale, Aminah Nieves on Those Shocking 1923 Scenes. During the 1990s . 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. Tragedy befell the family in 1979 when Lord Mountbatten affectionately known by the royals as Uncle Dickie was assassinated by the IRA. As a 1975 photo cited by Today shows, Penelope Easton Knatchbull was friendly with the then-prince of Wales, only shortly after her first introduction to the royal family. She was only 5 years old. Countess Penny remained close with the queen even after Prince Philip's death, and was even seen attending the the Royal Windsor Horse Show with her in May. In another royal connection, her husband is . Pennys marriage broke down in 2010, after 31 years and three children. 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. 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 is the only daughter of Marian Hood and Reginald Eastwoodwho founded Angus Steakhouse. 57. Courtesy of Netflix; Steve Parsons/PA Wire. "This is cruel rubbish," Queen Elizabeth II's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter said of the storyline (per The Sun). Coming just weeks after the nation laid Her Majesty to rest next to Prince Philip, this is very distasteful and, quite frankly, cruel rubbish, Dickie Arbiter, the queen's former press secretary, told The Sun. Humiliated Putin to miss G20 summit over fears of ASSASSINATION attempt after troops evacuate Kherson, I've been stuck in my living room for 12 months as the council won't find me a new home, I'm at my wit's end, Cyclist, 20s, in critical condition after horror collision with lorry in Dublin as gardai appeal for witnesses. The makers of The. The Royal Family, in particular The Queen, were full of admiration for Pennys stoicism. As The Crown shows, their youngest, Leonora, died of kidney cancer at age 6. Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull go way back, having first met each other at a polo match in Great Windsor Park in 1974. Her marriage troubles came on top of worry about their son, Nicholas, who was a year above Prince William at Eton, and had spent years hooked on crack cocaine and heroin. So why is her appearance in The Crown so controversial? The newlyweds inherited Mountbatten's home of Broadlands in Hampshire.freveale. Philip always was a flirt, and the Queen used to joke about his lascivious nature. Her marriage troubles came on top of worry about their son, Nicholas, who was a year above Prince William at Eton, and had spent years hooked on crack cocaine and heroin. RSPCA rescue dog after it's seen being dragged along road by woman on a mobility scooter as witnesses scream in horror. Seward agreed, adding that Philip was not the type of man to discuss private details of his marriage with anyone. Three weeks after the accident, which Philip blamed on him being blinded by the low winter sun, it was announced he had stopped driving. 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. Penny Knatchbull is a member of the British aristocracy and related by marriage to the royals, including both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. Penny Eastwood marries Norton Knatchbull at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England. Penny and Philip met in 1974 and hit it off immediately despite their 32-year age difference, becoming closer when Penny's daughter. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Penelope has been so much a part of royal life, household staff have nicknamed her And Also, Penelope has been a trusted member of the Royal Familys inner circle for years and bonded with Philip through their love of carriage-driving, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip and Natascha McElhone as Penny Knatchbull in The Crown, Penny was the only non-family at Philips small, Covid-restricted funeral, except for his personal secretary, Penny and Prince Charles pictured in 1983, The pair mount their motorbikes during the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park, Windsor Castle on May 13, 2005, Philip and Penny at Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2009, Inside Prince Philips highly personal relationship with Penny Knatchbull the only non-Royal invited to his funeral.