Queen Elizabeth and Penny chat at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2001. Penny photographed at Windsor Castle attending the funeral of Prince Philip on April 17, 2021. Its absolutely cuckoo.. A mitigating factor in any hard feelings Penelope might have held toward her husband may be the state of his health. Penelope Knatchbull was still Penelope Eastwood when she first met the royal family. Penny isnt exactly a super-public figure, but shes been a close friend of the royal family for years. She was a keeper not only of his secrets but those of the family.. Romsey told Knight that Diana would talk to Charles like a fish wife and that she was very abusive to him.. Philip always was a flirt and the Queen used to joke about his lascivious nature. While not among the nobility, the Eastwoods did have a claim to a certain position in British culture. Besides keeping in touch with her old friend, Knatchbull reportedly played a key part in an embarrassing public episode of Philip's retired life. And often he was accompanied by a neighbor, a woman who was quite a lot younger, who he had taught to carriage drive. Earl Mountbatten is a relative of Prince Philips uncle, the first Earl Mountbatten, to whom Philip was exceptionally close. Tragedy befell the family in 1979 when Lord Mountbatten affectionately known by the royals as Uncle Dickie was assassinated by the IRA. The Duke of Edinburgh and Penelope Knatchbull carriage riding in 2007. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, 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, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). She was diagnosed with cancer and died at age 5. Back then, Penny was simply Penelope Eastwood, daughter of Reg Eastwood, a wealthy butcher turned businessman who founded the Angus Steakhouse restaurants. Shes lost her best friend, Express reported. Attn: everyone wondering if she *really* had an affair with Prince Philip. 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. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. By coincidence, Leonora shared the same birthday as Uncle Dickie. 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. Series creatives are reportedly on edge about the scene, although the show will avoid depicting the exact moment of the crash impact., The queen consort made a cheeky comment to West after it was announced that the actor would be portraying her husband, King Charles III, in the fifth season of. Pennys marriage broke down in 2010, after 31 years and three children. Bedell Smith notes that Knatchbull was not the first woman with whom Philip had a close female friendship that raised eyebrows. Per the Hampshire Chronicle, Penelope who is known affectionately as Lady Penny in Romsey pledged loyal service to the community. In May last year, tattooed Nicholas, 40, a music producer and gardener, married Ambre Pouzet, a French former fire-eating mermaid performer. Penelope Knatchbull had a long-term friendship with Prince Philip. According to Seward, Knatchbull was part of the difficult conversation following Philips car accident about giving up driving. 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. THEIR friendship spanned decades and often raised eyebrows. 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. He walked Norton's daughter Alexandra Knatchbull down the aisle. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Penelope (Penny) Knatchbull, also known as Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who befriended Prince Philip at a polo match in 1975 when she was 20, became one of his closest confidantes despite. So why is her appearance in The Crown so controversial? Would love your thoughts, please comment. But Charles very specifically told his friends not to come forward in his defense, recalls Bedell Smith. Whatever moved Norton to flee Britain and pursue his affair, he seemed to have a change of heart. JMCrown 3 mo. The Crown 'to infuriate royals by delving into Prince Philip and Penny Penelope Knatchbull and Prince Philip in 2007. 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. 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. 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. But Penelope has also taken over some ceremonial duties related to her husband's titles. 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. 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. 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. She looked heartbroken when she arrived at the funeral and she is heartbroken. In the show, Penny and Philip are seen touching hands as he divulges details of his marriage. "We'll never know how the Queen felt about it all," Philip's biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun. She explicitly said, I did not go to bed with him. They shared this passion for Carl Jung that also Prince Charles had.. Her husband Norton, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, fled to the Caribbean to be with fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and Lady Penelope (Penny) Romsey arrive at the Guards Polo Club on June 1, 1975 in Windsor, England. Season Five of The Crown explores Prince Philips companionship, as his character says in the show, with Penny Knatchbull, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. 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). 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. The Crown Season 5 Episode 2 Who is Penelope Knatchbull in The Crown? To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Where are 'Scream killers' Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik now? 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. News. Who Is Penny Knatchbull? Inside Her Relationship To Prince Philip It's also implied in the movie, The Queen but that is also written by Peter Morgan. Netflix are not interested in peoples feelings.. Philip took the devastated Knatchbull under his wing. Penny and Philip met in 1974 and hit it off immediately despite their 32-year age difference, becoming closer when Pennys daughter sadly died of kidney cancer in 1991. Penny Knatchbull is the wife of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a cousin-once-removed of Prince Philip and with whom she shares three children. So What Was Penny's IRL Relationship With Philip? 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. 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.. She also noted that the queen was sufficiently aware and presumably comfortable with her husband's flirtatious tendencies to joke about it. Penelope was invited to take over as High Steward by the town council. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. 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. 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 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's more than friendship that Penelope Eastwood Knatchbull shared with Prince Philip. Months later, in September, she attended the queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey. Jeannie, as she is known, is the sister of former Bahamas Attorney General Sean McWeeney. Of course, incidents like this on the Isle of Wight only fuelled whispers that they may have been more than just good friends. Penny and the Duke of Edinburgh shared decades of affection, a source told Grazia. The Crown: Prince Philip's Relationship With Penelope Knatchbull She studied in Switzerland and the London School of Economics, according to The Sun. Hearst Magazine Media, 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. 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. 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. Meanwhile, Norton was also Prince Philips godson. Netflix has confirmed that this show is indeed a fictional dramatization, shortly after a public slam from the dame. The Sun reported that Knatchbull was born in London, England, on April 16, 1963. Penny Knatchbull & Prince Philip Relationship: 5 Facts | Heavy.com "Philip always was a flirt," his biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun. Penny is seen joining the Queen and Prince Philip at a church service at Sandringham circa 2012. RSPCA rescue dog after it's seen being dragged along road by woman on a mobility scooter as witnesses scream in horror. Powered by. Who Is Penny Knatchbull? Inside Her Relationship To Prince Philip 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. According to theIrish Times,Knatchbull and Charles were once reported to be more than friends. The event being dubbed the Wedding of the Year with over 900 guests in attendance from almost all of Europes leading families. Penelope Meredith Mary Knatchbull - Countess Mountbatten of Burma - is a friend of the British Royal Family who had a particularly close relationship with Prince Philip. Thats a little ironic given [were talking in reference to The Crown], but she did say that. In 2017, Prince Philip retired from public life, joking that he had to stand down as he wouldn't be standing up for much longer (per the Evening Standard). 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. If she had been hurt by rumors of supposed dalliances, she would never let on.. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. 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. Her full name and title are Penelope, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. 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 . 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. I read that Matt Smith played the part of Phillip with the idea in mind that he was cheating on Elizabeth. The new season of the Netflix series will cover Princess Dianas infamous Panorama interview, the Windsor Castle fire, and much more. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Coming just weeks after the nation laid Her Majesty to rest next to Prince Philip, this is very distasteful and, quite frankly, cruel rubbish, he told the publication. What The Crown won't tell you about Prince Philip and his close friend Sometimes tragedy builds unlikely bonds between people. Who Is Penny Knatchbull? Prince Philip's Close Friend in 'The Crown' Soon after the Knatchbulls were married, Penny became a fixture in royal circles, attending all the prime royal events and weddings. Though Philip and Knatchbull never had a romantic relationship, their friendship was undoubtedly close.