Queen Elizabeth II once made a candid remark about “fear” in her marriage to Prince Philip.
The late Queen and Prince Philip, married for 74 years, rarely spoke about their private life—but in 1997, she made a rare remark about their relationship during a lunch with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair at London’s Banqueting House.
The Queen made a speech at the lunch held to mark her and Philip's golden wedding anniversary, having attended a gala lunch at London's Guildhall with her husband the day before to mark the same milestone.
"Yesterday, I listened as Prince Philip spoke at the Guildhall, and I then proposed our host's health. Today, the roles are reversed," the mother of King Charles said.
She went on to say, "All too often, I fear, Prince Philip has had to listen to me speaking."
Despite her "fear" of her husband having to listen to her make long speeches throughout their time together, the Queen did highlight that Philip would often weigh in on her public addresses before she took to the lectern.
"Frequently, we have discussed my intended speech beforehand and, as you will imagine, his views have been expressed in a forthright manner," she revealed.
The Queen mentioned, "He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.
To note, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's marriage spanned from their wedding on November 20, 1947, until his death on April 9, 2021.
