Elizabeth and Philip

A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy

Author: Tessa Dunlop

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'A riveting take on an extraordinary relationship' - Richard Eden, Daily Mail

'A fresh and original approach' - Hugo Vickers, Royal Biographer

She was 'sugar pink' innocence; he was a handsome war hero. Both had royal blood coursing through their veins. The marriage of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in November 1947 is remembered as the beginning of an extraordinary, lifelong union but success was not guaranteed. Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy plunges us back into the 1940s when a teenage princess fell in love with a foreign prince. Cue fears of a flirtatious 'Greek' fortune hunter stealing off with Britain's crown jewel and Philip's supporters scrambling to reframe him as a good fit for the Royal Family.

Drawing on original newspaper archives and the opinions of Elizabeth and Philip's contemporaries, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop discovers a post-war world on the cusp of major change. Unprecedented polling on Philip's suitability was a harbinger of pressures to come for a couple whose marriage was branded the ultimate global fairytale. Theirs was a partnership like no other. Six years after Elizabeth promised to be an obedient wife Philip got down on bended knee at the coronation and committed himself as the Queen's 'liege man of life and limb.'

Published 75 years after their marriage, this deeply touching history explores the ups and downs, the public appeal and the private tensions that defined an extraordinary relationship. The high stakes involved might have devoured a less committed pair - but Elizabeth and Philip shared a common purpose, one higher even than marriage, with roots much deeper than young love. Happy and Glorious, for better or for worse, how did their union succeed? Monarchy was the magic word.

Critic Reviews

The relationship between the Queen and Prince Philip is enlivened by the voices of so many interesting, wonderful contemporaries, which makes for a fresh and original approach. -- Hugo Vickers, Royal Biographer
A riveting take on an extraordinary relationship. -- Richard Eden, Diary Editor, Daily Mail
It's a story we think we know so well, but in Tessa's charming new book she uncovers illuminating untold stories from the Queen and Philip's youth. -- Emily Andrews, Royal Journalist
If you love royalty you'll love Tessa's book. She writes so well. -- Jo Elvin, Palace Confidential, Daily Mail
The symbolism of the Queen's marriage and how it affects a whole generation [Dunlop] illustrates very beautifully in the book . . . Elizabeth and Philip is a very good read. -- Michael Portillo The Times Radio
A fascinating piece of history -- Ben Sixsmith The Critic Magazine
one of my books of 2022 . . . the future Queen emerges, as one would expect, as a dignified young woman, but it is Philip's upbringing that fascinated me the most. A worthy tribute. -- Oliver Webb-Carter, Editor Aspects of History
Wonderfully fresh . . . a glorious book. -- Alan Titchmarsh MBE
[An] incisive, crisply written book Observer
A charming double portrait of Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the early years of their romance and marriage. Enriched by interviews with ordinary Britons of the royal couple's generation, it's a poignant and well-documented study of a couple whose 'matter-of-fact style' and 'extraordinary work ethic' were a balm for their nation. Royal watchers will be pleased. Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Dr Tessa Dunlop is a twentieth-century historian, acclaimed author (Sunday Times bestseller The Century Girls and The Bletchley Girls) and Royal Television Society awarded broadcaster. She was a presenter on the BBC's BAFTA-winning series Coast, appears on numerous history documentaries and talk shows and often comments on royal news. Tessa grew up in Scotland and now lives in London with her family.