The Queen's secret to her and Prince Philip's lifelong marriage is revealed

The secret to the late monarch's happy lifelong marriage has been revealed by royal expert.

The Queen and Prince Philip on their wedding day, split layout with a more recent pic of the Qiueen and Prince Philip
(Image credit: Getty / Getty)

The Queen's secret to a happy lifelong marriage to Prince Philip has been revealed by a royal expert.


The Queen and Prince Philip were happily married for 73 years until his death and a royal expert has claimed the secret to their long married life is to be 'madly in love' and that 'tolerance is key'.

Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip on 20 November 1947 - at the time the monarch was just 21 and Philip was 26.

And since they have both been reunited in death - their final resting place buried in the royal vault at St George's chapel at Windsor Castle, royal expert Dr Tessa Dunlop has opened up on what she believes is the key to their long marriage.

Speaking to OK! magazine she observed, "I think Philip loved Elizabeth. I’ve never been in any doubt about that. She changed his life. 

"She gave him stability that he never had, she gave him wealth he never had. She gave him a platform he couldn’t have dreamed of. She gave him everything he didn’t have."

The author, who published biography Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy, also claimed that both 'independence' and  'tolerance' were key to the success of couple's enduring marriage and that The Queen was 'very good at giving Prince Philip' space when he needed.

And Dr Dunlop's 'tolerance' comments haven't come out of the blue. Dr Dunlop referenced a speech Prince Philip delivered on the couple's silver wedding anniversary in 1972, in which he described his wife as having 'tolerance in abundance'.

At the time, during a toast to the Queen at a lunch celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, November 1997, he said, "I think the main lesson we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient in any happy marriage... You can take it from me, the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance." 

Selina Maycock
Senior Entertainment Writer

Selina is currently a Senior Entertainment Writer for Goodto.com, formerly Senior Entertainment writer for Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life with more than 16 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently writes a mix of Entertainment news - including celebrity births, weddings, reporting the the latest news about the Royal kids Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet as well as Family news stories from baby names to store closures and product recall warnings. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.