Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull’s Relationship Timeline
The Crown‘s fifth season is not solely targeted on Charles and Diana drama. It additionally options Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) grappling with the monarchy’s declining relevance within the Nineteen Nineties and Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville) revisiting a long-lost love. As for Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce), he develops a detailed friendship with household good friend Penny Knatchbull whereas experiencing his personal marital troubles with the queen.
Though Her Majesty—and possibly many people viewers—first suspects him of getting a romantic affair, Pryce’s Philip assures her that his and Girl Penny’s relationship is solely an “mental and religious companionship,” nothing extra. Certainly, the collection would not present the 2 characters getting significantly affectionate; as a substitute they bond over literature and carriage using, heartfelt discussions about grief, and marital grievances. To show that he has nothing to cover, Philip even convinces his spouse to befriend Penny (performed by Natasha McElhone) herself. Certain sufficient, the queen reluctantly meets together with her husband’s companion one-on-one and even invitations her to trip together with her to church service.
This friendship did exist in actual life, although (and viewers ought to know this by now) The Crown imagines how precise interactions and conversations went down. Penelope Knatchbull (née Eastwood) is the spouse of Norton Knatchbull, the grandson of Earl Mountbatten (The Crown watchers know him as Uncle Dickie) and Prince Philip’s personal godson. She is known as Girl Romsey in The Crown, a title she held from 1979 to 2005 earlier than changing into Girl Brabourne from 2005 to 2017 and now the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, in accordance with At present.
Girl Penny and Prince Philip did turn into pricey mates and bond over using carriages. She turned such a detailed confidant of his that she was usually referred to his “And Additionally”—when itemizing his company for an occasion, he would conclude with “and in addition Penny.”
Weeks earlier than The Crown‘s fifth season premiered on Nov. 9, rumors had been already circulating that the brand new episodes would cowl Prince Philip and now-Countess Penny’s friendship. The mere implication that the duo had an affair didn’t sit properly with royal insiders.
“Coming simply weeks after the nation laid Her Majesty to relaxation subsequent to Prince Philip, that is very distasteful and, fairly frankly, merciless garbage,” Dickie Arbiter, the queen’s former press secretary, informed The Solar. “The reality is that Penny was a long-time good friend of the entire household. Netflix usually are not interested by individuals’s emotions.”
Whereas Penny Knatchbull, now 69, has not addressed the portrayal herself, a detailed good friend reportedly informed The Telegraph earlier than the brand new season aired, “That is certainly an ill-judged, unnecessarily unsympathetic, and unlucky resolution.”
Under are some key moments from their her friendship with the late Duke of Edinburgh via the years.
1975
Penny was reportedly launched to the royal household at a polo match when she was 20 years previous. She was relationship Norton Knatchbull on the time.
1979
Penny Eastwood marries Norton Knatchbull at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England. The royal household attended, and Prince Charles, the groom’s second cousin, even served as greatest man.
Norton and Penny Knatchbull on their marriage ceremony day.
Queen Elizabeth attends Norton and Penny’s marriage ceremony.
1991
The Knatchbulls’ five-year-old daughter Leonora dies after a 14-month battle with most cancers. They later established the Leonora Youngsters’s Most cancers Fund charity in her reminiscence.
In response to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, Penny and Philip’s friendship blossomed after the household tragedy. “Philip befriended her when her life started to collapse … and inspired her to take up carriage driving,” she wrote, per At present.
Prince Philip and Penny using motorbikes in 2006.
Their companionship continued for years, with Girl Penny seen with Prince Philip and the Queen at Sandringham, horse reveals, and different royal occasions. She even stayed shut via the Duke of Edinburgh’s last days. The now-Countess Penny is believed to have visited him commonly at his retirement cottage at Sandringham earlier than his demise, in accordance with the Each day Beast.
Queen Elizabeth and Penny chat on the Royal Windsor Horse Present in 2001.
Penny is seen becoming a member of the Queen and Prince Philip at a church service at Sandringham circa 2012.
The Queen and Penny in 2018.
2021
Countess Penny attends the non-public funeral service for Prince Philip. She is considered one of 30 mourners current, together with instant members of the family.
“Penny and the Duke of Edinburgh shared many years of affection,” a supply informed Grazia. “Her presence on the funeral amongst solely thirty attendees is strictly what the late Duke would have needed, and the complete household might be happy to have her amongst them on the sombre event.
Penny photographed at Windsor Fort attending the funeral of Prince Philip on April 17, 2021.
2022
Countess Penny remained shut with the queen even after Prince Philip’s demise, and was even seen attending the the Royal Windsor Horse Present together with her in Could. They had been photographed smiling as they watched from their seats.
Penny with Queen Elizabeth.
Months later, in September, she attended the queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Tradition Editor at ELLE.com, the place she oversees protection on TV, motion pictures, music, books, and extra. She was beforehand an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There’s a 75 p.c likelihood she’s listening to Lorde proper now.