Recent royal biographies have revealed funny stories about Prince Philip, including the night he ditched his nurses to steal a beer, much to his wife's chagrin. According to one royal author, the former Duke of Edinburgh was known for many things, including one particularly "awkward habit."
In the book The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Queen Elizabeth II, royal author Ian Lloyd revealed, "Philip's frustration with his subordinate role and his annoyance that, in the early days of her reign, his dutiful wife slavishly followed the wishes of the palace old guard and Winston Churchill, led him to occasional bursts of temper."
Royal sources shared their experiences of Prince Philip's outbursts. Per Lloyd, "These were witnessed by courtiers, friends, and relations. 'He could be brutal,' recalled a former member of staff who heard him berate The Queen with 'Don't talk such rubbish!' or 'You're completely wrong!'"
"[Queen Elizabeth II's cousin] Margaret Rhodes recalled Philip's awkward habit of jumping down people's throats," according to Lloyd.
Per the author, Rhodes shared, "He was like that with The Queen. He'd say, 'why the bloody hell?' 'what the bloody hell?' I think she did find it disconcerting."
"Deep down, the prince was aware he could occasionally make hurtful comments," Lloyd explained. "To a family friend, he once made the revealing comment, 'I don't seem able to say nice things to people, though I'd like to. Why is that?'"
The author continued, "In the early days, The Queen, aware of the huge sacrifice Philip had made, tolerated his outbursts."
Although onlookers were reportedly shocked by Prince Philip's alleged behavior, Queen Elizabeth apparently cut her husband some slack. After all, no-one's perfect.
