Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married for 73 years; only death could separate them. It seems particularly romantic that Philip was the Queen’s first and only man in her life. The other way around, however, does not apply, because the five years older naval lieutenant already gained experience with the opposite sex before his wedding.
The first time Prince Philip fell in love was in 1938. At the end of the summer he spent time in Venice with his cousin Princess Alexandra of Yugoslavia and his aunt Aspasia. One party followed another and the handsome Philip was showered with invitations and admiration. The object of desire left nothing to be desired: at every party there was a different lady who offered Philip to accompany him on the drive home, writes Philip Eade in his book “Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life”.
“The driver doesn’t have to stay, Aunt Aspasia,” he supposedly used to say, “I’ll take over. The boatswain had a long day.” The aunt gave in – on the condition that her nephew be back within 20 minutes.
Prince Philip was a heartthrob.
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Prince Philip falls head over heels in love with Cobina Wright
The then 17-year-old Philip liked one girl in particular: Cobina Wright, American, budding actress at 20th Century Fox and also 17 years old. For three weeks, Prince Philip is said to have explored Venice by her side, after which they met again in London. When the young woman left for her home in New York, Prince Philip decided to follow her one day. He is said to have been so blown away by her that he wanted to marry her and wrote her heartfelt love letters. Gant Gaither, Broadway producer and a friend of Cobina Wright, explained to writer Philip Eade that Cobina “just wasn’t too interested” in the end. Prince Philip was a free man again.
Cobina Wright turned Philip’s head.
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After all: 1973 Cobina Wright admitted in an interview with the “Town and Country” magazine that she had met the future Prince Consort in Italy and that he was one of the three great loves of her life. To this day, she said at the time, she still has a photo of Philip in her bedroom. They are still good friends and write to each other often.
Prince Philips’ first friend was Osla Benning
Prince Philips’ first real friend is said to have been the Canadian Osla Benning. The two met at the end of 1939 – the year in which the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth first saw her Philip during a visit to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth and is said to have never shown interest in another man again.
At the time, Osla Benning worked for an aircraft construction company and was the roommate of Sarah Norton, the goddaughter of Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten. Mountbatten was also Philip’s uncle. Norton recalls for the biography Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life: “Uncle Dickie said to me, ‘I don’t think Philip has a girlfriend right now. I wish you could find a nice girl for him because he doesn’t know anyone. ‘ Osla didn’t have a boyfriend at the time, so I said, ‘I know, I’ll bring them together.’
Osla Benning, on the left in the photo, was the future prince’s first girlfriend.
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The coupling attempt worked: Philip and Osla, who was two years younger than him, became close friends and made London’s nightlife unsafe. “I know he was her first love,” says Benning’s daughter Janie Spring, author Philip Eade years later. “She didn’t tell me a word about him for years. She just said, ‘I fell in love with a naval officer’. Then I found wonderful photos of Philip, very young and handsome, with tousled hair, quite curly.” However, she also emphasizes that the relationship was innocent in nature.
Prince Philip spent Christmas 1943 at Windsor Castle with the royal family – and the now 17-year-old Princess Elizabeth began to win his heart. The more Philip had contact with Elizabeth, the more the relationship with Osla Benning cooled. She and Prince Philip stayed in good contact, however, and he later even took on the sponsorship of her son.
Source used: “Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life” by Philip Eade, published by William The 4th