Why The Crown’s historical consultant doesn’t believe Prince Philip cheated
In the second season of The Crown, the show hints at the rumours of Prince Philip’s infidelity.
Throughout the 10 episodes, the second season highlights his feelings for ballerina Galina Ulanova and rumoured flings while travelling abroad without the Queen. However, we never actually see the Prince cheat on his wife.
According to Robert Lacey, The Crown’s historical consultant, that was the intention of the show, to showcase the facts so that the audience could make their own assumptions.
This choice highlights that for the royal family, the appearance of scandal is nearly as bad as committing the wrongdoing itself.
"Sometimes we have to reflect the ambiguity of the truth," Lacey told the Good Housekeeping.
"That's one of the appeals of the series. That we don't go for easy solutions. We don't say 'yes, Philip was unfaithful,' nor do we say 'he was pure as the driven snow.' We say 'here is the evidence, you make up your mind.'"
The show’s creator Peter Morgan has previously stated that he believes Philip was unfaithful.
Last year, he reportedly said, "Doesn't everyone in Britain know [Philip] had an affair?"
However, Lacey believes that Philip never cheated on his wife. "I actually believe he was not unfaithful," Lacey said. "I feel that just as I believe that the Queen does not watch The Crown because she's above it."
The historical consultant also acknowledged that the Duke of Edinburgh made it too easy for rumours to fester as he spent time one on one with female companions, even travelling with them.
"Prince Philip has never made any secret that later in life he had several very close lady friends with whom he would go away for weekends — one friend used to enjoy carriage riding with him. Another, philosophical debates and discussions — but Philip's attitude has always been, 'So what? My wife trusts me.'"