Edwina Bartholomew: Prince Philip was the perfect husband

I doubt Prince Philip was taking out the bins at Buckingham Palace, but the rest of us can learn a lot from his union with Queen Elizabeth, says Edwina Bartholomew.

We call the Queen, Her Majesty. Prince Philip called her ‘Cabbage’. Tomorrow, as the world farewells a Prince and Duke, the Queen will be saying goodbye to her constant companion of 73 years.

Much has been said about Prince Philip’s contribution to public life since he died. He was patron to 800 organisations, conducted more than 20,000 public engagements and was awarded many titles and accolades.

However, his most important role was as husband. As the cover of the Women’s Weekly declared in 1977, he was the ‘perfect husband for a working wife’. While the Queen led the Commonwealth, Prince Philip was the family patriarch, dealing with the internal dramas served up by their four kids and now grandchildren. I doubt he was taking out the bins at Buckingham Palace, but the Duke was dependable on the home front.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the ultimate power couple, says Edwina Bartholomew. Picture: Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage

Like many of us, the royal couple met at a wedding. It was 1934 when Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark married Prince George, Duke of Kent at Westminster Abbey. Eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth was a bridesmaid and Philip a guest.

Their next meeting was by chance. Elizabeth, now 13, was visiting the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth with her parents and sister. An 18-year-old Philip happened to be their guide, but only because two other cadets assigned to the role had mumps. It was meant to be.

By the end of 1943, Philip was a guest at Christmas with the future in-laws at Windsor. By 1947, they were married. Together, they shared the longest partnership of any British sovereign in history.

So what can the rest of us learn from this historic union? For their 50th wedding anniversary, Philip gave a rare speech about their marriage: “I think the main lesson we have learnt is tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage … it is absolutely vital when the going gets difficult.” I’ll be sending this to my husband and taking a few notes myself.

Theirs was a union of sacrifice and service and proof compromise is the constant in a marriage. They famously didn’t share a bedroom but shared time together over the past year in lockdown. That companionship was key. They complimented and relied on each other. No marriage is perfect but Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the ultimate power couple. The rest of us should be so lucky to share a love like theirs.