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Viewers of The Crown are in an uproar over reports that the upcoming series will portray Prince Philip having an affair with Penny Knatchbull.
The Netflix hit series, which is based on the royal family but also weaves together fictional storylines, is said to have filmed “intimate scenes” between the characters that will air just over two months after Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
It is thought the couple will touch hands while Philip talks about his marriage, in a move that has been labeled “cruel nonsense” by the late Queen’s former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter.
Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull (pictured during a polo match) first met in 1975 when she was engaged to Norton Knatchbull, the grandson of Philip’s uncle Earl Mountbatten
The pair (pictured at the Royal Winsdor Horse show in 2009) forged a close friendship for nearly five decades with Penny who was described as a “secret keeper” for the Duke
Penny also developed a friendship with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and bonded with her through their shared love of horses (pictured at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2022)
Natasha McElhone (pictured at the 2018 LA premiere of The First) will play Penny Knatchbull in the upcoming series The Crown
Penelope (Penny) Knatchbull, aka Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who befriended Prince Philip in 1975 at the age of 20 during a polo match, became one of his closest confidants, despite being 32 years his junior and becoming depicted during walks with the duke. the years.
Their closeness had sparked rumors of an affair during their decades-long friendship, but the couple always vehemently denied the accusation.
Penny, 69, also known as Lady Romsey and Lady Brabourne, bonded with the late Philip because of their shared love of the equestrian sport of carriage riding.
When she met the Duke, Penny was in a relationship with Earl Mountbatten’s grandson, Norton Knatchbull, whom she eventually married.
Penny Knatchbull, 69, attended the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey today, looking demure in an all-black outfit and elegant hat
Penelope Knatchbull arrives at Windsor Castle to attend Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021 following his death at age 99
The wedding was postponed five times after Earl Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing raid on Co. Sligo, 1979.
Norton, 73, is the grandson of Lord Mountbatten – who had a famously close relationship with his cousin Prince Philip. Philip was Norton’s godson while Norton is Prince William’s godfather.
Over the years, the friendship between the Duke and Penny had become so close that she was one of only 30 mourners invited to his funeral in April 2021 after he passed away at the age of 99.
After the funeral, Caroline Graham of The Mail on Sunday reported that Penny looked “heartbroken” as she said goodbye to her best friend of nearly five decades.
She quoted a royal aide as saying Penny was a “keeper of secrets” to the late Duke who had confided in her during their friendship.
The assistant said: “Penny was one of the few friends who continued to see Philip regularly after 2017 and his withdrawal from royal duties.
“They were brought together by tragedy, but they were there for each other through thick and thin. He trusted her unconditionally and she adored him. She never betrayed him.
“She kept not only his secrets, but those of the whole family.
“They had a deep and lasting friendship. Penny was always jokingly called ‘and too’ because whenever a list was made for a family event, private or public, it would be ‘let’s invite X and Y’ and then Philip would be on it” and also Penny…”‘
Penny Knatchbull (aka Brabourne) grew closer to the Duke and Queen after the death of her five-year-old daughter Leonora from kidney cancer in 1991 (pictured during Prince Philip’s Service of Thanksgiving, March 2022)
The Duke of Edinburgh and Countess Mountbatten of Burma (pictured riding ‘easy riders’ at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, 2005) stayed close together for five decades
After first meeting Prince Philip in the 1970s, the mother of three Penny is said to have leaned on the Duke and Queen in 1991 after her five-year-old daughter Leonora tragically died of kidney cancer.
Philip taught the Countess how to ride a carriage in 1994 and she became his regular companion for the sport. Royal insiders say her enthusiasm for carriage rides is one of the reasons he stayed in control into his late 90s. He was pictured as late as 2019 riding a carriage in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
After the Duke of Edinburgh retired to Sandringham after resigning from his royal duties, Penny was a regular visitor to Wood Farm on the Norfolk estate.
However, their close friendship was marred by rumors of an illicit romance, as people suspected Prince Philip had been unfaithful to his close friend – something the Duke always vehemently denied.
In 1992, after becoming annoyed by the suggestions of infidelity, the Duke told a journalist, “Have you ever stopped to consider that in the past 40 years I’ve never gone anywhere without a police officer accompanying me?
“So how the hell could I get away with something like that?”
Rumors of a romance between the couple were somewhat quieted after Penny also developed a close relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Penny and Her Majesty are said to have bonded over their mutual love of horseback riding.
In 2010, after her husband left her for a new life and a lover in the Bahamas, Penny is said to have gained enormous respect from the Queen, who reportedly admired how she kept their historic estate, Broadlands in Hampshire, running as usual. despite her personal turmoil.
In July 2021, while the Queen was mourning her husband who had passed away a few months earlier, Penny was spotted with the late monarch on the Royal Windsor Horse Show who shared a joke with her.
Richard Eden of the Daily Mail reported at the time that the couple remained “incredibly close” and that Penny was a “comfort” to Her Majesty.
She also attended the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey last month.