), Penny is the only daughter of Marian Hood and Reginald Eastwoodwho founded Angus Steakhouse. Charles served as best man at the wedding and, in the years following, Knatchbull actually befriended Charles before getting to know his father. She and Prince Philip reportedly forged a connection over their mutual love for the outdoors and horses. Her wedding was held only months after the assassination and was attended by the queen and Philip, then-Prince Charles, and other assorted royals. She was pictured attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show with him several times over the years and it was in the 1990s that Penny and Prince Philip's bond is understood to have become incredibly close. The Truman Show actress Natascha McElhone plays Penny in The Crown, with veteran actor Jonathan Pryce taking over from Tobias Menzies as Philip. Her husband is Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma . Queen Elizabeth II's thoughts and feelings on nearly everything were opaque. Alexandra was at the time furious with her father for leaving her mother, but of course she still wanted him at the wedding.. The Truman Show actress Natascha McElhone plays Penny in The Crown, with veteran actor Jonathan Pryce taking over from Tobias Menzies as Philip. The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. Penny was introduced to Philip at age 20 while dating husband-to-be Norton Knatchbull, Philip's godson and grandson of the duke's uncle Lord Mountbatten. The event being dubbed the Wedding of the Year with over 900 guests in attendance from almost all of Europes leading families. The queen and prince consort weren't the only royal couple to visit Broadlands. The revelations that have leaked from Prince Harrys memoir, Palace Insiders Say Prince William Is Already Furious About Prince Harrys Memoir Leaks, Prince Harry alleges Prince William attacked him over Meghan Markle in a new excerpt from. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip reached out to the Knatchbulls after the death of their five year-old daughter . Per Hampshire Live, he opened his house to Queen Elizabeth II and Philip in the first days of their honeymoon. Leonora was buried on the grounds of Broadlands, the family estate, and Penelope later established the Leonora Children's Cancer Fund. It was only when he feared he would be cut off from the familys 100million fortune that he checked into rehab and kicked his habits. Back then, Penny was simply Penelope Eastwood, daughter of Reg Eastwood, a wealthy butcher turned businessman who founded the Angus Steakhouse restaurants. For an example of how ubiquitous Knatchbull's presence in royal events is, just look to Philip's funeral. When they did tie the knot, with Prince Charles as best man, they inherited Mountbattens 18th-century, 60-room Broadlands estate near Romsey, Hants, where Charles and Di would spend part of their honeymoon two years later. Even when they had these moments where Penny actually said, You should not marry Diana. According to the book Prince Philip Revealed by Ingrid Seward, as described in People, the author wrote, When I saw Philip and Penny gilding around the dance floor at the Royal Yacht Squadron Ball during Cowes Week, neither of them gave a damn who saw them or what anyone might say.. For Philip, it meant he gained an attractive companion to events such as the Royal Windsor Horse Show and at numerous social gatherings associated with the sport and beyond. By coincidence, Leonora shared the same birthday as Uncle Dickie. She looked heartbroken when she arrived. Questions hovered over their friendship in the press, with some speculating more was going on. There was never any question she would leave Broadlands, where every day she visits the tall stone monument, about 100 yards from the house, which stands above her daughter Leonoras grave. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. .and she is heartbroken, aides told Express. Penelope 'Penny' Knatchbull remained one of Prince Philip's closest friends for several decades (Picture: Netflix) Netflix . When they did tie the knot, with Prince Charles as best man, they inherited Mountbattens 18th-century, 60-room Broadlands estate near Romsey, Hants, where Charles and Di would spend part of their honeymoon two years later. Following Philip's 2021 death, Knatchbull was one of 30 guests invited to the. Of course, incidents like this on the Isle of Wight only fuelled whispers that they may have been more than just good friends. Norton is also the grandson of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Philip's uncle, notes Newsweek. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. One source said at the time: Not for a moment would Penny allow her husbands departure to interrupt the smooth running of the estate.. Season Five of The Crown explores Prince Philips companionship, as his character says in the show, with Penny Knatchbull, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. It also features Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) grappling with the monarchy's declining relevance in the 1990s and Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville) revisiting a long-lost love. Only a handful of locations remain open, and the chain's future was in serious doubt as of 2021. Per Yahoo! When Philip was involved in a car accident near the Queens Norfolk retreat of Sandringham in January 2019, Her Majesty dispatched Penny to encourage the duke to surrender his drivers licence. Humiliated Putin to miss G20 summit over fears of ASSASSINATION attempt after troops evacuate Kherson, I've been stuck in my living room for 12 months as the council won't find me a new home, I'm at my wit's end, Adin Ross swatted: Dramatic video revealed as swat team arrive at streamers home for the second time in 3 months. She was the only non-family member at Philips small, Covid-restricted funeral, except for his personal secretary. Philip helped to popularize the sport in the United Kingdom, and Knatchbull's embrace of it is said to have kept him involved in competitions into his 90s. Penny returned to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month without her decades-long comp-anion for the first time. It isn't only the tabloids that have spread the moniker; Ingrid Seward's biography, "Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century," says that Queen Elizabeth II herself shared Philip's fondness for Knatchbull and was just as keen to have her included. One source said at the time: Not for a moment would Penny allow her husbands departure to interrupt the smooth running of the estate.. It was even rumoured Prince Charles had cut off his friendship with Penny after someone close to him shared their suspicion that his father was having an affair with her. He trusted her implicitly and she adored him. Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. So little wonder the makers of TVs The Crown have delved into the extraordinary relationship between Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull in the new series of the Netflix drama. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Elena Nicolaou is a senior entertainment editor at Today.com, where she covers the latest in TV, pop culture, movies and all things streaming. A TV insider last year said: The highly personal relationship is unlikely to be welcomed as a storyline by the Queen or the rest of the Royal Family.. It was even rumoured Prince Charles had cut off his friendship with Penny after someone close to him shared their suspicion that his father was having an affair with her. JMCrown 3 mo. ", IRA assassinated Philip's grandfather, Lord Mountbatten. Seward called her a touchstone of royal life, writing, She (provided) a touchstone to the outside world and (told) both Philip and the queen about whats going on.. Her husband Norton Knatchbull is Philip's godson and a grandson of Philip's uncle, Louis Mountbatten (per iNews ). Queen Elizabeth attends Norton and Pennys wedding. Getty20th October 1979: The grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Lord Romsey, marries Penelope Eastwood at Romsey Abbey. Whatever moved Norton to flee Britain and pursue his affair, he seemed to have a change of heart. Philip and Penny are said to have first met when she was dating her husband-to-be aged 20. Jeannie, as she is known, is the sister of former Bahamas Attorney General Sean McWeeney. The relationship between Penny Knatchbull and Prince Philip is causing controversy. When he removed himself to the Bahamas in 2010, he relinquished the job, which largely consists of presiding over local functions in ceremonial dress. She was seen standing behind the Queen, broad grins on both their faces. Seward agreed, adding that Philip was not the type of man to discuss private details of his marriage with anyone. He encouraged Penny to take up his sport of carriage driving, to distract her, and got his head groom Micky Flynn to show her the ropes. So little wonder the makers of TVs The Crown have delved into the extraordinary relationship between Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull in the new series of the Netflix drama. Here's the scoop on her life and friendship with the late Prince Philip. News, that was the year Knatchbull's daughter Leonora died of cancer. Jonathan Pryce and Natascha McElhone recreate the relationship between Knatchbull and Philip in The Crown.. And as usual, the truth is slightly more complicated. Its interesting, though slightly tangential, but after he retired to Wood Farm where he continued his carriage driving, he would go out every morning at nine. Although Her Majestyand probably many of us viewersfirst suspects him of having a romantic affair, Pryce's Philip assures her that his and Lady Penny's relationship is simply an intellectual and spiritual companionship, nothing more. Penelope Knatchbull (ne Eastwood) is the wife of Norton Knatchbull, the grandson of Earl Mountbatten ( The Crown watchers know him as Uncle Dickie) and Prince Philip's own godson. What does a purple poppy mean and where can I buy one for Remembrance Day? Penny was reportedly introduced to the royal family at a polo match when she was 20 years old. She was seen the next year at the Royal Windsor Host Show, which she had so often attended with him, as a guest of the queen. Though the relationship between Philip and Knatchbull, who is over 30 years his junior, never crosses into the physically romantic realm on The Crown, the episode insinuates that both found a kind of emotional fulfillment in their friendship that they were not getting from their own marriages. Knatchbull was born Penelope Eastwood. For their part, Knatchbull and the royals gave no public credence to the rumors. The now-Countess Penny is believed to have visited him regularly at his retirement cottage at Sandringham before his death, according to the Daily Beast. She was dating Norton Knatchbull at the time. Apparently, the intimate scenes involve touching hands as he divulges details of his marriage and well actively see them pursuing an affair.. Philip's close relationship with Penny Knatchbull explained: 'Neither of them gave a damn' PRINCE PHILIP had a very close relationship with one of the surprise attendees at his funeral,. Shes lost her best friend., The Crowns Princess Diana Debuts Her Revenge Dress, Everything You Need to Know About The Crowns New Season, Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce on Channeling Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Recreating Princess Dianas Prescient 90s Fashion, The Crown Season 5 Is a Compelling Prelude to Tragedy, What Happened When Fake Charles Met Real Camilla, From the Archive: Dodis Life in the Fast Lane, Discover More Real-Life Royal Scandals With VFs Dynasty Podcast, 2023 Cond Nast. The grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Lord Romsey, marries Penelope Eastwood at Romsey Abbey on October 20, 1979. She remained a close companion to Philip for his whole life. The queen and Knatchbull at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2018. If she had been hurt by rumors of supposed dalliances, she would never let on.. When asked more broadly about allegations he had affairs, Philip would snap at the press. Philip always had women friends. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. According to Seward, Knatchbull was close to both Elizabeth and Philip, and is a friend to their son, now-King Charles III. Penny, left to manage her and Nortons 5,000-acre Hampshire estate alone, reportedly gathered together all the staff while her estranged husband was mid-flight and told them he had gone but everything else would stay the same. This friendship did exist in real life, though (and viewers should know this by now) The Crown imagines how exact interactions and conversations went down. He began inviting her on carriage rides and later taught her carriage driving. Countess Penny attends the private funeral service for Prince Philip. Owing to her husband Norton Knatchbull's declining health due to Alzheimer's disease (per Wales Online), Penelope Knatchbull has had to assume some of his responsibilities to the family's holdings. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Charles is close to the Knatchbull's children (per Tatler), and Dimbley claims in "Prince of Wales" that they were some of his only friends to warn him against his marriage to Diana Spencer. And so it was the same kind of thing. Philip befriended her when her life began to fall apart and encouraged her to take up carriage driving, she wrote, per Today. Sometimes tragedy builds unlikely bonds between people. But author Ingrid said: Well never know how the Queen felt about it all. She was one of the only people apart from family members who he saw at Wood Farm, the five-bedroom home on the Sandringham estate where he spent most of his time after he retired from royal duties in 2017. Meanwhile, Norton was also Prince Philips godson. She explicitly said, I did not go to bed with him. They shared this passion for Carl Jung that also Prince Charles had.. Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull were friends throughout the Duke of Edinburgh's life and Penny shared his passion for outdoor pursuits and horses. Although she mostly grew up in Sweden, Penny was incredibly close to the royals thanks to her marriage to Norton Louis Philip Knatchbull. The Oscar nominees play the queen and her consort during the mid-'90s, a time period famously rife with scandal for the royal family, in, Prince Harry on Williams Hairline and Their Wicked Stepmother. She did say at one point that they had a very close friendship, but it had everything to do with ideas, recalls Bedell Smith. Over the years, Knatchbull has been a guest of the familys at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, appeared with Philip at public events, and been photographed on many an outdoor occasion with the duke. Penny was introduced to Philip at age 20 while dating husband-to-be Norton Knatchbull, Philips godson and grandson of the dukes uncle Lord Mountbatten. GettyLONDON, ENGLAND JUNE 8: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, smiles after unveiling a plaque at the end of his visit to Richmond Adult Community College in Richmond on June 8, 2015 in London, England. The bomb blast on board his fishing boat off County Sligo, Ireland, which featured in the last series of The Crown, also killed Nortons 14-year-old brother Nicholas and his grandmother, Lady Brabourne. Lady Penny and Prince Philip did become dear friends and bond over riding carriages. While not among the nobility, the Eastwoods did have a claim to a certain position in British culture. Penelope Knatchbull had a long-term friendship with Prince Philip. More recently, she spends time with Philip at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate and is credited with persuading him to give up his driving license after his 2019 accident. Months later, in September, she attended the queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey. Penny continued to visit Philip until he died on April 9. Who was Johnny Whited and what happened to Christopher Alvin Dailey. The day after Philip was laid to rest at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, Irish republican party Sinn Fein the political wing of the IRA apologised for Mountbattens assassination.