Prince Philip 'Wanted To Take Legal Action' Over Affair Rumors, Claims Royal Biographer

Fans of "The Crown" will likely recall that Prince Philip was characterized as something of a ladies' man, and sure enough, that was based on a number of reports during his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II. However, the late Duke of Edinburgh denied the claims outright, and according to his biographer, the persistent rumors over the years angered him to the point that he considered suing those responsible.

In a 2026 appearance on Hello!'s "A Right Royal Podcast," Philip's biographer, Gyles Brandreth, shared that despite what had long been said about Philip's supposedly too-close relationships with other women, the inside sources he'd spoken to all maintained that the queen's husband had always been faithful to her. However, it was the prince himself who was most resolute about that. In fact, Brandreth even recounted a time Philip had shown him a selection of the affair rumors that he'd collected over the years. "In the 1990s, I went to see the Duke of Edinburgh. He produced from a drawer a folder of cuttings. He said, 'Look at this!'" Brandreth recounted, sharing that many of the cuttings had been from international, particularly Australian newspapers, and that they'd concerned his supposed indiscretions with everyone from celebrities to other royals. "He says, 'Not a word of truth in this! Not a word. What can I do about it?'" Brandreth added, noting that the prince had even mailed copies of the reports to him with another request for advice on how to handle it. 

According to Brandreth, Philip had hinted at considering a lawsuit. However, he ultimately decided against it because he knew it would do more harm than good and only bring more attention to the rumors. "He just had to grin and bear it, but he did find it very, very frustrating," Brandreth said. We'll bet!

Prince Philip might never have taken legal action against those spreading affair rumors, but he did once address the issue with a reporter. "Have you ever stopped to think that, for the last 40 years, I have never moved anywhere without a policeman accompanying me? So how the hell could I get away with anything like that?" he's been quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. Touché.

Unfortunately, even that wouldn't allay the chatter, and like we said, the affair rumors would later inspire a storyline on "The Crown." Unsurprisingly, many were upset by the renewed attention on the rumors, and speaking to the Daily Mail, the editor-in-chief of royal rag Majesty Magazine stood up for the late Duke of Edinburgh. Of the implications that he'd had a dalliance with ballerina Galina Ulanova, Ingrid Seward pointed out, "It was complete fantasy. ... He never even met the ballet dancer."

While some royals, including Philip's grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have said they watched "The Crown," it's believed that the queen and her husband didn't see it themselves. Nevertheless, it was reported that once they learned of how "The Crown" portrayed Philip's sister's death, he was upset. In particular, biographer Sally Bedell Smith told the Daily Mail he'd found it "terribly upsetting" that the show had his father blame him for the passing of Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark. Once again, reports emerged that Philip considered suing, but ultimately, he didn't. As royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Business Insider of that decision, "The problem with the royal family, the moment they sue ... there's an enormous amount of attention. The reason he didn't do it was because the whole world would've heard of this and perhaps some would've believed that it might have been true." A difficult position, no doubt.