The Queen's former press secretary has discussed the cheating rumours attached to the late Head of State's husband, Prince Philip.
As the latest series of The Crown lands on Netflix, Dickie Arbiter appeared on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 today to dissect royal facts from fiction in the new series of drama inspired by real-life events.
He claimed Prince Philip was a 'window shopper' who 'never bought' as he discussed the late couple's relationship on the Channel 4 show alongside former butler to King Charles III, Grant Harrold.
Asked about the portrayal of the late Prince Philip and his friend Penny Knatchbull on the Netflix series, Arbiter said: "The relationship was a common interest in carriage driving. Prince Philip took it up at the age of 71 having suffered from arthritis and he could no longer play polo…
"Penny had lost her daughter and was completely at a loss and… they [The Crown] had this made-up scene of Penny showing a carriage that was in one of their yards, which never happened."
He added: "It’s good drama, that’s what it’s all about… What you shouldn’t believe are the words attached to it and some of the events as well.
"But she did take an interest in carriage driving, they had a common interest, there was a 30-year age difference and there was no way there was any relationship."
Arbiter went on to say: "One of the things about Prince Philip, he was always accused, certainly in the 50s and 60s in French newspapers, of playing around and he was labelled as having an affair with one actress or another, or a dancer.
"Prince Philip was a good-looking man, ladies fell for him when he came on the scene, he was good in uniform. But one thing Prince Philip was, he was a window shopper, he never bought… he flirted but it didn’t go any further."
The first series of The Crown to air following the death of Queen Elizabeth dropped on Netflix earlier today, following weeks of controversy attached to the show's future.
The Crown has received a lot of backlash in recent months due to certain storylines featured in the upcoming series, with the series recently forced to include a disclaimer on the latest trailer as the drama intends to showcase the death of Princess Diana.
But the controversy attached to the show hasn't stopped fans tuning in, with many taking to social media this morning to share their thoughts on the latest offering from the Netflix drama.
*Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4 and All 4.
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