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. Tatler reported that he came home in 2014. Penny photographed at Windsor Castle attending the funeral of Prince Philip on April 17, 2021. Her husband Norton, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, fled to the Caribbean to be with fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall. Tragedy befell the family in 1979 when Lord Mountbatten affectionately known by the royals as Uncle Dickie was assassinated by the IRA. Who is Dr James Colthurst, Princess Diana's close friend in The Crown? In that time, her father's chain was sold, and it's traded owners over the decades. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Lady Penny and Prince Philip did become dear friends and bond over riding carriages. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The Duke of Edinburgh and Penelope Knatchbull carriage riding in 2007. The Crown's fifth season isn't solely focused on Charles and Diana drama. For an example of how ubiquitous Knatchbull's presence in royal events is, just look to Philip's funeral. The signature decor of the restaurants, with atmospheric lighting over red velour banquettes, had an opulent appeal for diners who still retained memory of rationing during World War II. Her presence at the funeral among only thirty attendees is exactly what the late Duke would have wanted, and the entire family will be pleased to have her among them on the sombre occasion. The Crown creator Peter Morgan has long been fascinated by the 73-year marriage between Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, devoting story lines in the series first four seasons to the unique power dynamicdramatizing, for example, Philips struggle sacrificing his naval career to support his wife just five years into their marriage, when she suddenly became queen. Besides keeping in touch with her old friend, Knatchbull reportedly played a key part in an embarrassing public episode of Philip's retired life. 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 source close to the royal family is slamming Countess Mountbatten's portrayal in "The Crown" as "deliberately cruel" and "unnecessarily unsympathetic." If Philip had been looking down on them, he surely would have been smiling too. So little wonder the makers of TVs The Crown have delved into the extraordinary relationship between Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull in the new series of the Netflix drama. Her marriage troubles came on top of worry about their son, Nicholas, who was a year above Prince William at Eton, and had spent years hooked on crack cocaine and heroin. It also features Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) grappling with the monarchy's declining relevance in the 1990s and Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville) revisiting a long-lost love. By accepting, she was automatically in the post, but a formal induction ceremony was held in 2011. The closeness between Philip and Penny clearly did not upset the Queen, at least not publicly. 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 Independent quoted him as answering one such question with, "Good god, woman! Nicholas is in line to inherit the wealth of the Mountbatten family and his father's titles, but he was reportedly once in danger of being disinherited. Natascha McElhone as Penny Knatchbull. Promise. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He began inviting her on carriage rides and later taught her carriage driving. Devastated by this horror, Penny and Norton decided to postpone their wedding for two months. The Royal Family, in particular The Queen, were full of admiration for Pennys stoicism. In 1981, when it was in the hands of Penelope and Norton Knatchbull, Prince Charles and Princess Diana spent the first part of their honeymoon there as well. Shes lost her best friend, Express reported. Following Philip's 2021 death, Knatchbull was one of 30 guests invited to the. According to the book Prince Philip Revealed by Ingrid Seward, as described in People, the author wrote, When I saw Philip and Penny gilding around the dance floor at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during Cowes Week, neither of them gave a damn who saw them or what anyone might say.. 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. The Full Lyrics to Look at Us Now (Honeycomb), Inside Riley Keoughs 'Daisy Jones' Transformation, Tracy Oliver on That Harlem Season 2 Finale, Aminah Nieves on Those Shocking 1923 Scenes. During the 1990s . Penny isnt exactly a super-public figure, but shes been a close friend of the royal family for years. Lydia Hawken: All their latest coverage | Daily Mail Online Alexandra was at the time furious with her father for leaving her mother, but of course she still wanted him at the wedding.. She was one of the only people apart from family members who he saw at Wood Farm, the five-bedroom home on the Sandringham estate where he spent most of his time after he retired from royal duties in 2017. He told journalist Jeremy Paxman: Every time I talk to a woman they say Ive been to bed with her. She and the duke also both shared a boisterous sense of humour, according to Ingrid. In 2010, according to Tatler, Norton Knatchbull left his wife and his family home of Broadlands to live with his mistress, Lady Nuttall, in the Bahamas. Penelope Knatchbull and Prince Philip: The true story of the The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family. Her superpower is matching people up with the perfect book, which she does on her podcast, Blind Date With a Book. 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. She was known as Lady Romsey between 1979 and 2005; The Lady Brabourne between 2005 and 2017; and now Countess Mountbatten of Burma. The relationship between Penny Knatchbull and Prince Philip is causing controversy due to the new season of " The Crown." Their friendship will be featured in the fifth season of "The. 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. By coincidence, Leonora shared the same birthday as Uncle Dickie. 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. Seward noted the monarch's affection in her book "Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century," connecting her along with Philip to Knatchbull's presence at royal functions and her nickname "And Also". To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Because apparently, the show strongly implies that Penny and Prince Philip were having an affair. Charles, Philip's oldest son who is now the British sovereign, was Norton Knatchbull's best man in their wedding. As The Crown shows, their youngest, Leonora, died of kidney cancer at age 6. In happier times, she could be seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside the royal family, waving at the crowds and taking in the trooping of the color (per the Irish Times). Educated in Switzerland, and with a business degree from the London School of Economics, friends describe her as being outgoing, engaged, clever and well-read. Of course, incidents like this on the Isle of Wight only fuelled whispers that they may have been more than just good friends. She was godmother to Alexandra Knatchbull, not Leonora, as the show depicts. He was also shown forging a close relationship with Prince Charles, as mentor and father figure. Getty28th March 1980: Lord and Lady Romsey in the grounds of Broadland, showing the house in the background. The British actor also appeared in The Truman Show, Solaris and The Other Boleyn Girl.. The Queens former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told the Sun: This is cruel rubbish.. With Philip and Penny, who was previously known as Lady Romsey then Lady Brabourne, it was a meeting of the minds. Season Five of The Crown explores Prince Philips companionship, as his character says in the show, with Penny Knatchbull, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. It's also implied in the movie, The Queen but that is also written by Peter Morgan. To her friends, Penelope Knatchbull is known as Penny. In 2010, Norton left Penny to be with a Bahamian fashion designer but returned after dumping her. They were even spotted dancing together at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during one Cowes Week. Penny continued to visit Philip until he died on April 9. Penny's friendship with Prince Philip unfolded after her daughter's death, Seward wrote in Prince Philip Revealed, per Today. Her husband is Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma . Prince Philip's relationship with aristocrat Penny Knatchbull, which reportedly raised some eyebrows in the 1990s, will get the Netflix treatment. Her father was Reginald Eastwood, described by the Sun as a butcher-turned-businessman.. Penny later became Lady Romsey after she married Prince Philip's . The queen was said to have "been impressed" with Knatchbull when Penny's future husband, Norton, introduced them in 1975 (per Daily Express ). The mere implication that the duo had an affair did not sit well with royal insiders. Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull's Friendship Is More Than What's in Initially, "home" meant a stable block on the estate, but after a few years, it was said that he was allowed back in Broadlands proper. She was the only non-family member at Philips small, Covid-restricted funeral, except for his personal secretary. 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. Ingrid Seward, author of biography Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century, said: The Queen had enlisted the help of the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who visited Philip and helped convince him to give up driving.. She gave few interviews and never aired dirty laundry about her family in public. So how the hell could I get away with anything like that?". norton knatchbull illness. Alexandra was at the time furious with her father for leaving her mother, but of course she still wanted him at the wedding.. Norton had been a year above Prince Charles at Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun and the Queen and Philip never forgot his kindness in looking after their eldest child during his challenging time there. She was the only non-family member at Philips small, Covid-restricted funeral, except for his personal secretary. According to Seward, Knatchbull was close to both Elizabeth and Philip, and is a friend to their son, now-King Charles III. Princess Diana seeks revenge, Princess Margaret reunites with an old flame, and many more juicy subplots await in the Netflix seriess most scandal-rich season yet. And sources say that Knatchbull also had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth. 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. Prince Philip and Penny at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2007. Penelope Knatchbull was still Penelope Eastwood when she first met the royal family. Penelope was invited to take over as High Steward by the town council. So little wonder the makers of TVs The Crown have delved into the extraordinary relationship between Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull in the new series of the Netflix drama. She also noted that the queen was sufficiently aware and presumably comfortable with her husband's flirtatious tendencies to joke about it. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. When Philip was involved in a car accident near the Queens Norfolk retreat of Sandringham in January 2019, Her Majesty dispatched Penny to encourage the duke to surrender his drivers licence. Three weeks after the accident, which Philip blamed on him being blinded by the low winter sun, it was announced he had stopped driving. Asked whether these female friendships ever bothered the queen, Bedell Smith points to a conversation she had with Pamela Hicks, who was a bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting to the late monarch. The royal family attended, and Prince Charles, the groom's second cousin, even served as best man. Indeed, the series doesn't show the two characters getting particularly affectionate; instead they bond over literature and carriage riding, heartfelt discussions about grief, and marital grievances. Who is Penny Knatchbull? Prince Philip's 'closest confidante' Philip, though, was the right consort for Elizabeth when they married, and they have stayed in love ever since, despite going through various ups and downs throughout their . Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull go way back, having first met each other at a polo match in Great Windsor Park in 1974. Penny is thought to have met Philip in 1974 when she was dating Norton Knatchbull, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, one of Prince Charles's closest friends at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. The new season of the Netflix series will cover Princess Dianas infamous Panorama interview, the Windsor Castle fire, and much more. Express describes Norton as the son of Philips first cousin. Bedell Smith notes that Knatchbull was not the first woman with whom Philip had a close female friendship that raised eyebrows. So why is her appearance in The Crown so controversial? 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. The truth is that Penny was a long-time friend of the whole family.