Netflix series 'The Crown' has given some titillating insight into the British royal family. While some of its story lines may be fiction, some are very firmly based on facts.
The one thing the series has so eloquently delved into is the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. While the couple celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary last week, claims have now come to light that the Duke of Edinburgh didn't always have his heart set on marrying a young Elizabeth.
According to The Express, the queen is believed to have set her eyes on Philip from a very young age – many accounts believe as young as 13. But theirs was not a romance based on love at first sight.
WATCH: Why the queen's sure Prince Philip never cheated on her
In fact, the duke had several flings before settling down. It's been well documented that Philip had a roving eye at the beginning of their marriage, but the rumours were never really based on fact.
Philip Eade's 2011 ‘Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life’ gives an inkling of the duke's romantic life before marrying the queen. He explained how Philip’s own father was concerned his son might get into "girl trouble" when he was just 17.
He attended many gatherings hosted by members of high Venetian society and would often offer to drive girls home on the boat after gatherings, commented Eade in his book.
In this image released by Netflix, Tobias Menzies portrays Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in a scene from the third season of 'The Crown'. Picture: AP
Eade continued: “One girl, Cobina Wright, began to stand out from the rest and Philip begged his aunt to be allowed to stay out in the boat a little longer.
"Cobina Wright was a budding American actress whose pushy mother, also called Cobina, was among those who entertained Philip during his time in Venice."
The two had a strong physical connection, and according to Wright, they were inseparable for the next three weeks.
WATCH: The love story of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
In Wright’s 2011 obituary, The Daily Telegraph reported that the two of them spent a week in England "dining, dancing and walking London’s streets, hand in hand".
When mother and daughter left for America, Philip vowed to follow, and was said to have cried as he kissed her goodbye.
Wright's friend Gant Gaither later said that Philip wrote her impassioned love letters and "desperately wanted to marry her, but [in the end] she just wasn’t all that interested".