Prince Philip Threatened to Leave Queen Elizabeth on Highway

Queen Elizabeth wears a blue coat and matching hat and carries a bunch of tulips while her husband Prince Philip holds her hand — (Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had one of the most stable marriages in royal history. After tying the knot on November 20, 1947, Elizabeth and Philip were married until his death on April 9, 2021. But according to one Royal Family friend, the pair occasionally had blazing arguments.

During an appearance on Hello! magazine's "A Right Royal Podcast," broadcaster and Royal Family friend Gyles Brandreth said of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, "She wore the crown and he wore the trousers."

Noting that Prince Philip "was in charge" of certain decisions, such as where the couple's children went to school, Brandreth also reflected on the late royal's temper.

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"You wouldn't want to argue with him," Brandreth said of Philip. "To be honest, you really, really wouldn't. But she did." And according to the broadcaster, there were several instances during which friends witnessed Elizabeth and Philip fighting.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly spoke in riddles to husband Prince Philip — "You wouldn't want to argue with him...But she did."

Per Brandreth, "[Countess Mountbatten] and The Queen were sitting in the back of a car, and they were driven by Prince Philip at such incredible speed. It was terrifying."

According to the Royal Family friend, "The Queen was yelping" in reaction to her husband's driving. "Shut up, woman, or I'll turn you out," Philip allegedly told his wife. "Shut up! I'll turn you out on the motorway."

Recalling the story, Brandreth explained, "When they got out of the car, Countess Mountbatten said to The Queen, 'You really shouldn't let him speak to you like that. You know, you're The Queen. He shouldn't really be speaking to you like that.'"

Queen Elizabeth wearing a skirt suit petting a white horse next to Prince Philip — "She wore the crown and he wore the trousers."

Per the broadcaster, Queen Elizabeth replied, "But he meant it. And I really didn't want to be caught or stranded on the motorway."

It seems as though there was only one person who was allowed to shout at Queen Elizabeth, and it was her husband.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.