The first line of Andrew Lownie's book on Prince Philip has drawn attention for a passing reference to a relationship between Philip and Sarah Ferguson's mother, Susan Barrantes. Lownie has said the story is not new and had circulated for years, but that his editors removed the word "alleged," so it appeared as a direct statement that the two were lovers.
Lownie said he had known the story for about 30 years through family connections and did not find it unusual. He included it as a slightly odd detail rather than expecting it to be treated as a shocking revelation.
He pointed to Ronald Ferguson's memoirs, which he said hint at the relationship, and noted that everyone in those circles was aware of it. He also cited Kitty Kelley's writing about Philip being with Susan Barrantes at the time of the Windsor Castle fire in November 1992.
Lownie suggested the reaction was stronger because the claim appeared without the word "alleged." He said it was discussed while Philip was still alive and nothing came of it, and that people now feel more uncomfortable raising it after his death because he cannot respond.
He said he knows the story from a reliable source, and in fact from several sources. He added that it would not surprise him, describing Philip as known for his fondness for women and saying Susan Barrantes was exactly his type. He noted that she also had relationships of her own.
For Lownie, the detail was interesting because it is unusual for a married man and woman to discover that their parents were also lovers.
Asked what this says about the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Lownie said one theme raised in the past decade is that they essentially lived separate lives. He said he believes the Queen loved Philip deeply, having met him at 13 and considering him the right man from that moment.
He described Philip as more hesitant, saying he did not really want to become a member of the royal family and had his own naval career. Lownie said Philip did fall in love with her to some degree, and that the match was strongly supported by Lord Mountbatten and King George VI, with documentary evidence that they were pushed together.
Lownie said he believes it was a love story, but that Philip looked elsewhere and thought he could have the best of both worlds. In his view, it became a somewhat open marriage, similar to the Mountbatten marriage and to many royal and aristocratic marriages.
Lownie said he is more skeptical about whether the Queen had affairs. He noted that people whose views he respects point to a relationship with Lord Porchester when they were in Kentucky buying horses, and that "The Crown" hints at tensions in the marriage caused by Philip's womanizing.
He referred to the many stories about the "Thursday Club" over the years. He said the fact that Penny Mountbatten, with whom Philip lived at Wood Farm for many years, was one of the few people at his funeral speaks for itself.
Lownie said the relationship between the Mountbatten family and the royal family was very close and went back a long time. He added that Philip himself had relationships with people connected to the family separately.
He expects these matters to come out eventually, saying they are only hinted at now, with different names raised, including figures from the entertainment world of the period such as Katie Boyle. He predicted it will take a few years for things to settle.
Lownie said he is currently working on a book about Prince Philip. He recalled having lunch with a friend who, on hearing about the project, said his mother had been a model in the 1960s and was invited to private parties where fashion shows were held, with the expectation that the women would spend time with various men, including Prince Philip.
He also described speaking with someone who was very friendly with an artist named Felix Topolski. According to Lownie, Topolski lent his studio at Hungerford Bridge to Philip to receive women. Lownie said he does not know how far it went, but that it was said the sofa there witnessed a great deal of intimate activity, which he assumed involved Philip as well.
Lownie said he believes these stories are beginning to emerge. He finds the marriage interesting and believes the Queen accepted the situation.
He recalled speaking with a friend who has a country house in Yorkshire and had hosted Prince Philip and Penny Mountbatten for a weekend. The following weekend, the Queen came and asked about Philip's friend, as she called her.
Lownie said his feeling was that she was not entirely happy about it, but she accepted it as the price to be paid. He described Philip as very loyal and very supportive, and as an impressive man, and said she had simply grown used to the fact that this was happening.
He compared it to many marriages in which women accept a situation that may not be entirely happy. He said this does not diminish Philip's great achievements or the fact that, in the end, it was a happy marriage.
Lownie said that with the Mountbatten family, there were moments of tension and each had their own lives, but by the end of their marriage, since she died young, they were a very contented and very happy couple.