Skip to main content

A questionable match

Prince Philip Mountbatten saluting in his uniform.
Philip Mountbatten | PNA Rota/Keystone/Getty Images

It was a rocky path for the young princess to get the groom of her dreams. Though the blond naval cadet was super attractive, he was practically penniless, and his parents had abandoned him due to mental illness and sordid affairs. King George and the rest of the royals felt that he was “unpolished, arrogant, destitute,” and — worst of all “too German.” Forty percent of British citizens were against the match.

However, the princess was determined to marry Prince Philip so he became a British citizen and was named Duke of Edinburgh just before they married.

Next: Rationing for a wedding gown