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Cape Town - For years Prince Philip has been Queen Elizabeth’s most loyal and trusted companion, willing to play a secondary role in the British monarchy and walking a few paces behind Her Majesty.
Now it seems that there are other avenues in their relationship where the 97-year-old has to take a back-seat to his wife, Express reports.
The pair don’t sit together aboard flights, with the Duke of Edinburgh sitting a few seats behind the 92-year-old queen, according to royal biographer Robert Hardman’s new book, Queen of the World, International Business Times reports.
“For most of his life his role has been that of the royal family’s (and the world’s) longest-serving supporting act, always walking two paces behind his wife,” Hardman wrote.
“[British politician] Jack Straw was struck by the fact that on a long flight the duke would sit in the row of seats behind the queen too,” he added.
The author further noted that Philip could have been sitting behind the queen out of respect for her position in the monarchy or because of her extensive entourage.
“Because when the duke went travelling on his own it would just be him and a policeman and a private secretary,” he wrote.
“So on these tours he’d come in and see all these dressers and footmen and so on. ‘What are all these people doing here?’ He’d say,” he added.
Sources: Express, International Business Times, Town and Country
