Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the picture of perfection in the Netflix series The Crown, at least in terms of the world. Behind the massive flowery story, their relationship was changing on the inside. But despite experiencing ups and downs over the course of their lengthy marriage, Philip was the appropriate partner for Elizabeth and they have remained in love ever since. Any long-term relationship eventually reaches a point where the parties recognise what fresh things they can bring to it. When a couple is emotionally and physically reliant on each other for nearly everything, it becomes very difficult to maintain uniqueness. When Elizabeth and Philip turned 60, they kind of fell into this rut. Philip began to feel distant from his wife as a result of Elizabeth’s constant schedule of engagements.
In the first episode of the season of The Crown, while Elizabeth was talking about Charles and Diana and Philip kept talking about something wrong with the ship they were sailing because he could hear strange noises, the first incidence of aloofness was displayed. Philip, a wise man in his sixties as well, begins to feel disconnected from his marriage. He is no longer able to draw any parallels between himself and Elizabeth. As he ages, there are many things he can no longer do, such as fly, and he begins to find enjoyment in reading and spending time engaged in carriage rides with his pals. He quickly makes contact with Penny Knatchbull, who is married to Norton Knatchbull, Philip’s godson. Cancer claims the life of Penny and Norton’s kid, and Philip makes the decision to support her and her spouse through this difficult time. Philip decides to restore an ancient carriage that Penny shows him that belongs to her husband. Penny is impressed by the restored carriage, and Philip begins instructing Penny in carriage driving. Penny quickly finds comfort in it and begins to appreciate Philip’s company.
Elizabeth begins to notice Philip is not in his room as much as she would like because he is either on the road with his buddies competing in carriage driving contests or on the road for the Global Fund for Nature. Elizabeth is relieved to see him busy, but she is disappointed that he doesn’t want to spend time with her. She begins to wonder whether they are splitting apart at this age. She has known how dominant Philip is from the start and that he sacrificed a lot so that Elizabeth could take centre stage. But she finds his aloofness unusual. Philip was the only one to have made significant sacrifices for his love and marriage, as shown in Seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown, although Elizabeth always supported him and his decisions. Elizabeth recognises how different the two of them have become before their much anticipated journey to Russia since Philip is aware of the type of DNA test that will be conducted to learn more about the Romanovs and he also explains why his participation is crucial. Elizabeth expresses surprise at the depth of Philip’s knowledge, to which Philip cleverly replies that he reads while she doesn’t.
In the sixth episode of The Crown’s fifth season, Elizabeth expresses her disappointment at Philip’s lack of participation in their journey to Russia, to which Philip replies that he no longer sees any common ground between the two of them. Penny and Philip appear to have a lot in common, but Philip emphasises that they are only friends while also revealing their developing bond. In a furious reply, Elizabeth queries if they are having an affair. Philip accepts the fact that, except from their royal ancestry, he and Elizabeth have nothing in common. Elizabeth was home-schooled and never showed any interest in learning more about global issues than what she read in newspapers or watched on television, but Philip is an intelligent, well-read individual. As an alpha guy, Philip valued information acquisition, sharing, and contribution. Penny shared this characteristic with him; she was just as eager to learn and indulge her curiosity as he was. Penny is a well-read someone who would assist Philip in locating information he might be unsure about and challenge his viewpoints. Elizabeth objected to Philip’s comfortable feelings towards her company. Elizabeth always thought she was the one for him, but it appears they are now heading in opposite directions. She was jealous of Penny since she was younger, brighter, and much more well-read than Elizabeth. Elizabeth believes that Philip and Penny are having an affair, which Philip dismisses by saying that at his age, he wants to feel useful because he has missed out on a lot of life’s experiences and that he has found a companion in Penny with whom he can discuss any subject under the sun. They are both nerds who enjoy having in-depth conversations about a variety of topics, which initially turns Elizabeth off but she soon comes to embrace.
If Elizabeth had not been the Queen, she might have been a socialite or an ordinary homemaker who occasionally engages in gossip. Elizabeth always enjoyed chatting with her sister and mother. Elizabeth was raised to be a sovereign who just has to know the bare minimum, therefore she has little interest in learning about earthly issues. To keep himself occupied, Philip, on the other hand, wanted to be useful, give his life meaning, and pursue his long-lost passions. He sought fulfilment for his mind and spirit, and this is what he wanted. Elizabeth and Philip are similar to every other couple who has reached a moment in their relationship where they find nothing intriguing about one another but still choose to stay together because they have a deep-seated love and respect for one another that will never fade. The Crown is relatable because it accurately depicts a long-term marriage, which many of us have gone through at different stages of a long-term relationship.
