A Love Like No Other

• A pink-faced princess fell for his Viking looks  • Rock by side who made her giggle years on

- Julie McCaffrey

He was by her side, or a couple of respectful steps behind, during thousands of engagements over seven decades. Even when physically apart, this was a couple deeply in love who were always emotionally together.

Everyone from family members to flag-wavers knew the Queen and Prince Philip’s bond was unwavering.

It was not conveyed in public displays of affection, which were certainly not their style.

But it was obvious in the way they accepted long spells apart, both understanding there was no room for neediness in a marriage where one had an innate sense of duty and the other an immense need for time away from the Crown and crowd.

Theirs was a love so strong it survived everything from intense worldwide scrutiny to family scandals.

It began, according to Princess Elizabeth’s childhood governess Marion “Crawfie” Crawford, because the future queen was attracted to teenage Philip Mountbatten’s athleticism and “Viking” good looks of blond hair and blue eyes.

They were introduced when he escorted Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret around Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 1939. Friends said he showed off, jumping the tennis nets.

In her memoir, The Little Princesses, Crawfie said Elizabeth was so impressed she exclaimed: “How good he is, Crawfie. How high he can jump.”

Crawfie said whenever he came aboard the King’s royal yacht for meals Elizabeth turned “pink-faced”.

Philip had fallen just as hard. He wrote beautiful love letters to Elizabeth while serving as one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World War.