The Carefree Years

Early days of marriage - a precious memory of "normal" life

Following their wedding in 1947, Prince Philip was committed to supporting his wife, but it was no secret that he yearned to be back on active service with the Navy. In 1949, his wish was granted and, with King George VI's blessing, he was appointed second-in-command of HMS Chequers, leader of the first destroyer flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet based in Malta.

He flew out in October and while a refit of the ship was being carried out, he stayed at Villa Guardamangia, a grand sandstone house on the outskirts of Valletta, one of the homes of his uncle, Lord Mountbatten.

A month later, Elizabeth flew out to join him, leaving Prince Charles with his grandparents.

Lord Mountbatten's daughter, Lady Pamela, described the visit in a rare interview. She said, "They were magical days of endless picnics, sunbathing and waterskiing. It was the only place that she was able to live the life of a naval officer's wife, just like all the other wives." Although the princess did carry out the occasional official engagement, her day to day living was pretty normal. She shopped for groceries at the local shops, had tea with the other officers' wives, had her hair done at the local salon, and enjoyed boat trips to nearby bays with the Mountbattens.