Eyes front, Philip!
A playboy Prince eyeing up the ladies? Don’t worry, Ma’am, it’s only a VERY impertinent scene from your hit TV show
IT’S no surprise that a stunning woman should catch the eye of a red-blooded young man.
But leering at a waitress as she serves a drink is surely not the kind of behaviour associated with the Queen’s husband.
This is how the £100million Netflix drama The Crown imagines a scene from the private life of the Duke of Edinburgh during on a night on the town with his friends in 1953, the year of Her Majesty’s Coronation.
Philip, played by former Doctor Who star Matt Smith, is seen at a gentleman’s club in London’s Soho district – then a hotbed of vice – when he behaves in a style very different from his public image as an ever-dutiful husband.
The bar scene plays out in the sixth episode, when the Duke of Edinburgh joins his close friend and private secretary Mike Parker at the club. A charming waitress catches his eye as she presents him with a glass of whisky.
It’s not the only time his eyes wander in the series. On a flight home from a Royal visit, he has his head turned by an air stewardess. The Queen, played by Claire Foy, catches him staring at her and gives him a withering look.
In another scene, Philip joins Parker for a boys’ weekend at short notice. When the Queen asks where he is going, Philip replies defensively: ‘It’s gentlemen only… It’s perfectly innocent.’ Her Majesty looks stern-faced from a window of Buckingham Palace as Philip roars down the drive in his sports car and Parker pops a bottle of champagne.
The strain on the Royal couple’s marriage is a common theme in The Crown. During one explosive argument, the Queen questions Philip’s commitment to her. Her voice cracking with emotion, she says: ‘The only person I’ve ever loved is you – but can you honestly look me in the eye and say the same?’ She storms out of the room when Philip, staring at her in stunned silence, fails to reply. Royal observers have taken exception to Philip’s portrayal. Author Thomas Blaikie said: ‘This is a just bit Carry On. I really don’t imagine that he ever indulged in such laddish behaviour. Philip might play up to his man-about-town image and he likes female company, but it’s all good fun and harmless.’