Penelope “Penny” Knatchbull: – This was Prince Philip’s unknown friend

In 2020, it was known that 73 million households had watched the royal fiction series “The Crown” since its premiere on Netflix in 2016.

Therefore, one can imagine that there were quite a few who sat down in front of the TV during the premiere of season five.

The newest season deals with the British royal family and their ups and downs throughout the 1990s. In season five, you are introduced to a number of new people who have had an influence on the royal family, among them we find Penelope “Penny” Knatchbull (69).

– Quite turbulent and difficult

Through the episodes, viewers get an insight into how Penny and Prince Philip developed a very special friendship, despite an age difference of 32 years.

But who was she really – and how did the friendship with the prince come about?

Brought together by tragedy

Penny, now known as Countess Mountbatten of Burma, married Norton Knatchbull (75) in 1979. Norton is King Charles’ (73) third son and grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who, according to Vogue, was Prince Philip’s favorite uncle.

The wedding in 1979 had to be postponed for two months due to the IRA attack on the Mountbatten family. The family was subjected to a bomb attack, and Norton lost both his younger brother Nicholas and his grandparents in the attack.

However, that was not the only tragedy to befall the Knatchbull couple.

Shortly after the wedding, the couple moved out to the country estate of Broadlands, the same place where Philip and Queen Elizabeth holidayed on their honeymoon in 1947. Together they had children Alexandra, Leonora and Nicholas. However, the family idyll was to end when their one daughter was stricken with cancer.

In 1991, Leonora, who was only five years old at the time, died of liver cancer. The tragedy brought Penny and Prince Philip closer, and as a distraction he introduced her to a new hobby: horse and carriage driving.

“It was Philip who encouraged Penny to do horse and buggy. She showed interest in what she called ‘this driving thing’ and asked him if it was possible to train her daughter’s pony”, writes Ingrid Seward in the biography “Prince Philip Revealed”.

Child rearing: Learned from Diana

The infidelity rumours

After attending many sporting events and spending a lot of time together riding horses and carriages, Penny became a self-described guest at other royal events.

Eventually she got a very special nickname from the court – “And also”. The nickname, according to The Sun, came from the fact that when the prince listed invited guests he always ended by saying “and also Penny”.

Over time, Penny and Philip became better and better friends, and eventually what is almost inevitable when you are part of a scandalous royal family happened: Rumors of an alleged affair began to swirl.

“We will never know how the Queen felt about it all. Philip had always been a flirt and the Queen used to joke about his fresh manners. If she had been hurt by rumors of a supposed affair, she would never have let it go,” writes Seward in his biography of the prince.

Even Philip, who was known as a charismatic prankster, took it all with a smile. When in 1991 he was confronted by a journalist about rumors of infidelity, he answered simply and simply:

– Haven’t you ever thought about the fact that, for several years, I haven’t gone anywhere without a policeman by my side? So how the hell could I get away with something like that?

The family scandals continued

After 31 years of marriage, the marriage between Penny and Norton fell apart. Together with fashion designer Eugenie Nuttall, Norton fled the UK and started a new life in the Bahamas.

The affair left Penny alone with the Broadlands estate, a place she refused to move from as her daughter Leonora was buried on the grounds.

The marital problems were in addition to the problems that had begun to arise with the youngest son, Nicholas. As a child, he attended the prestigious Eton school with Prince William (40), before starting to study at the University of Edinburgh.

– Looks absolutely miserable

According to several British media, his schooling came to an abrupt end when Nicholas dropped out after just six weeks and a short time later became addicted to drugs – something he struggled with for several years before he got help.

Last year, Nicholas, now 41 years old, got married in a small and intimate wedding at the family country house. It was a wedding that stood in stark contrast to her sister Alexandra’s in 2016.

Alexandra caused quite a stir when she chose to be followed up the church floor by the then Prince Charles instead of her own father. A family friend spoke to The Sun about why Norton sat on the sidelines at his own daughter’s wedding.

– It is unusual to be given away by someone else at your own wedding, even if it is with the Prince of Wales. At the time, Alexandra was angry at her father for leaving her mother, but still wanted him around.

In 2014, it was reported that Norton had given up life in the Bahamas and returned to the Broadlands, but it would be a few years before Penny took him back into the heat.

Got a place at the funeral

Amid all the family drama, Prince Philip stood steadfastly by Penny’s side. The duo maintained their good friendship until the prince’s death on 9 April 2021.

Due to the pandemic, the guest list for Philip’s funeral was greatly scaled down, but as on all previous guest lists, “And also” was a self-written guest.

Penny was thus one of 30 guests who were present when the prince was laid to rest in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.

“They were brought together by tragedy but were there for each other through thick and thin. He trusted her and she adored him. She never went behind his back and she not only kept his secrets, but also the family’s”, summarizes author Seward so nicely about the friendship.