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. On the inside, behind the large ornate story, their relationship was going through a shift. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. 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. 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. While not among the nobility, the Eastwoods did have a claim to a certain position in British culture. Carriage driving remained a cornerstone of their friendship. Tragedy befell the family in 1979 when Lord Mountbatten affectionately known by the royals as Uncle Dickie was assassinated by the IRA. Initially, "home" meant a stable block on the estate, but after a few years, it was said that he was allowed back in Broadlands proper. According to The Sun, Penelope Knatchbull remained one of the few non-relatives to regularly see the prince after his retirement. The day after Philip was laid to rest at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, Irish republican party Sinn Fein the political wing of the IRA apologised for Mountbattens assassination. One source said at the time: Not for a moment would Penny allow her husbands departure to interrupt the smooth running of the estate.. The Queens former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told the Sun: This is cruel rubbish.. She gave few interviews and never aired dirty laundry about her family in public. Queen Elizabeth II's thoughts and feelings on nearly everything were opaque. 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.. They were even spotted dancing together at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during one Cowes Week. Getty28th March 1980: The grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Lord Romsey, with his wife Penelope seated in the Wedgwood Room of Broadlands, once the home of Lord Louis Mountbatten, on the announcement that the 16th-century stately home would reopen to the public on 1st April 1980. . When he removed himself to the Bahamas in 2010, he relinquished the job, which largely consists of presiding over local functions in ceremonial dress. However, despite their estrangement, Penelope and Norton remained legally married. Penny was introduced to Philip at age 20 while dating husband-to-be Norton Knatchbull, Philips godson and grandson of the dukes uncle Lord Mountbatten. 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's friendship with Prince Philip unfolded after her daughter's death, Seward wrote in Prince Philip Revealed, per Today. 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. Penelope Knatchbull's titles have changed over the years. 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). That was certainly the case between Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull. She also appeared at Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral in 2022, when the monarch died at age 96. The queen was said to have "been impressed" with Knatchbull when Penny's future husband, Norton, introduced them in 1975 (per Daily Express ). 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 was born Penelope Eastwood. And one more thing connects the couple to the royal family: their house. .css-tjvzc4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;border-bottom:thin solid #6F6F6F;}.css-tjvzc4:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}The Crowns fifth season has *officially* dropped! Shes lost her best friend., The Crowns Princess Diana Debuts Her Revenge Dress, Everything You Need to Know About The Crowns New Season, Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce on Channeling Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Recreating Princess Dianas Prescient 90s Fashion, The Crown Season 5 Is a Compelling Prelude to Tragedy, What Happened When Fake Charles Met Real Camilla, From the Archive: Dodis Life in the Fast Lane, Discover More Real-Life Royal Scandals With VFs Dynasty Podcast, 2023 Cond Nast. I read that Matt Smith played the part of Phillip with the idea in mind that he was cheating on Elizabeth. 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. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. ", IRA assassinated Philip's grandfather, Lord Mountbatten. The Royal Family, in particular The Queen, were full of admiration for Pennys stoicism. Her husband Norton, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, fled to the Caribbean to be with fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall. 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. All rights reserved. She remained a close companion to Philip for his whole life. "This is cruel rubbish," Queen Elizabeth II's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter said of the storyline (per The Sun). Have you ever stopped to think that for years, I have never moved anywhere without a policeman accompanying me? 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.. According to theIrish Times,Knatchbull and Charles were once reported to be more than friends. Three years later, she married Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, andPrince Charles served as best man at their wedding. Shes completely wrong for you, he forgave her.. Alexandra was at the time furious with her father for leaving her mother, but of course she still wanted him at the wedding.. 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. The queen and Knatchbull at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2018. Prince Philip and Penny riding motorbikes in 2006. Penny later became Lady Romsey after she married Prince Philip's . People reported that Penny first met Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth in 1974. Penelope Knatchbull had a long-term friendship with Prince Philip. THEIR friendship spanned decades and often raised eyebrows. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. Months later, in September, she attended the queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey. Back then, Penny was simply Penelope Eastwood, daughter of Reg Eastwood, a wealthy butcher turned businessman who founded the Angus Steakhouse restaurants. Weeks before The Crown's fifth season premiered on Nov. 9, rumors were already circulating that the new episodes would cover Prince Philip and now-Countess Penny's friendship. In the Netflix series, "The Crown," Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the epitome of a perfect, at least for the world. Powered by. 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. In the first episode of season 4, Lord Mountbatten was blown up on a fishing boat by the Irish Republican Army (the IRA). Princess Diana did have her own connection to the family though The Crown takes its liberties. According to Seward, Knatchbull was part of the difficult conversation following Philips car accident about giving up driving. 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. Owing to her husband Norton Knatchbull's declining health due to Alzheimer's disease (per Wales Online), Penelope Knatchbull has had to assume some of his responsibilities to the family's holdings. Season Five of The Crown explores Prince Philips companionship, as his character says in the show, with Penny Knatchbull, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. READ NEXT: What happened to Jeffrey Dahmers brother David? Pennys marriage broke down in 2010, after 31 years and three children. Penelope 'Penny' Knatchbull remained one of Prince Philip's closest friends for several decades (Picture: Netflix) Netflix . Elena Nicolaou is a senior entertainment editor at Today.com, where she covers the latest in TV, pop culture, movies and all things streaming. James Hockaday and Elizabeth Atkin Thursday 10 Nov 2022 5:00 pm. If Philip had been looking down on them, he surely would have been smiling too. 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. 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. Knatchbull split her youth between Great Britain and Switzerland. Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull's Friendship, 'Outer Banks' Season 3 Arrives in February, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Their companionship continued for years, with Lady Penny seen with Prince Philip and the Queen at Sandringham, horse shows, and other royal events. She even stayed close through the Duke of Edinburgh's final days. Before you start side-eying, Penny was also photographed a ton with Queen Elizabeth II. Questions hovered over their friendship in the press, with some speculating more was going on. It was only when he feared he would be cut off from the familys 100million fortune that he checked into rehab and kicked his habits. Of course, incidents like this on the Isle of Wight only fuelled whispers that they may have been more than just good friends. She explicitly said, I did not go to bed with him. They shared this passion for Carl Jung that also Prince Charles had.. 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. He trusted her implicitly and she adored him. She and the duke also both shared a boisterous sense of humour, according to Ingrid. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. So how the hell could I get away with anything like that?". And if your response to that sentence is literally whomst, you are not alone! To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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. But author Ingrid said: Well never know how the Queen felt about it all. One source said at the time: Not for a moment would Penny allow her husbands departure to interrupt the smooth running of the estate.. Philip and Kirkwood reportedly met on on seven occasions, and while she has always denied they had an intimate relationship, as rumors of "the prince and the showgirl" ran rampant, she had to. The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. She and the duke also both shared a boisterous sense of humour, according to Ingrid. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Royal Family, in particular The Queen, were full of admiration for Pennys stoicism. Philip helped to popularize the sport in the United Kingdom, and Knatchbull's embrace of it is said to have kept him involved in competitions into his 90s. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), 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. 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. She was known as Lady Romsey between 1979 and 2005; The Lady Brabourne between 2005 and 2017; and now Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Inside Prince Philip's 'highly personal' relationship with Penny Knatchbull - the only non-Royal invited to his funeral Kate Jackson Published : 10:36, 10 Nov 2022 As Diana and Charles wage a media. Netflix is not interested in peoples feelings. Yikes! By coincidence, Leonora shared the same birthday as Uncle Dickie. In 1979, five years after first meeting Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, Penelope Eastwood became Penelope Knatchbull when she married Norton Knatchbull, Philip's godson and King Charles III's second cousin, according toHarper's Bazaar. In the years that followed, Knatchbull and Romsey remained close friends with Charleseven offering to speak out in his defense after Andrew Morton published his infamous Princess Diana tell-all, according to Bedell Smith. Penny and Norton Knatchbull had three children: Alexandra, Nicholas and Leonora. Indeed, the series doesn't show the two characters getting particularly affectionate; instead they bond over literature and carriage riding, heartfelt discussions about grief, and marital grievances. Penny was introduced to Philip at age 20 while dating husband-to-be Norton Knatchbull, Philips godson and grandson of the dukes uncle Lord Mountbatten. She was a keeper not only of his secrets but those of the family.. Knatchbull lost her 5-year-old daughter Leonora to kidney cancer in 1991; The New York Post reports that The Crown argues this tragedy brought her closer to Philip. And often he was accompanied by a neighbor, a woman who was quite a lot younger, who he had taught to carriage drive. She and Prince Philip reportedly forged a connection over their mutual love for the outdoors and horses. Thats a little ironic given [were talking in reference to The Crown], but she did say that. And as usual, the truth is slightly more complicated. 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 . 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. Three weeks after the accident, which Philip blamed on him being blinded by the low winter sun, it was announced he had stopped driving. It's more than friendship that Penelope Eastwood Knatchbull shared with Prince Philip. She did allow Norton back to Broadlands in 2014, not to themarital home, but to a converted barn there. Queen Elizabeth attends Norton and Pennys wedding. Theyre also distantly related by blood: Norton is the grandson of of Philips uncle, Louis Mountbatten. The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. 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. One source said: He was a tremendous support during a time of unimaginable grief.. James Crawford-Smith 11/9/2022. 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.. Sure enough, the queen reluctantly meets with her husband's companion one-on-one and even invites her to ride with her to church service. By marriage, she's also kin to the royal family. If Philip had been looking down on them, he surely would have been smiling too. So why is her appearance in The Crown so controversial? 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. Leonora was buried on the grounds of Broadlands, the family estate, and Penelope later established the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund. 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. Theres already major backlash to this alleged narrative decision, and the Queens former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told The Sun that coming just weeks after the nation laid Her Majesty to rest next to Prince Philip, this is very distasteful and, quite frankly, cruel rubbish. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. She studied in Switzerland and the London School of Economics, according to The Sun. She also noted that the queen was sufficiently aware and presumably comfortable with her husband's flirtatious tendencies to joke about it. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. In the show, Penny and Philip are seen touching hands as he divulges details of his marriage. 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. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Carriage driving is a sport where one driver steers a carriage drawn by one, two, or four horses, with three tests of skill and speed.