One of the most enduring marriages in royal family history wouldn’t have taken place if Queen Elizabeth‘s mother had anything to say about it.
According to Hugo Vickers, the author of “Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History,” her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, had a different suitor in mind for her daughter. She reportedly wanted a man of stature to wed her oldest daughter.
Who Did Queen Elizabeth’s Mother Want Her to Marry Instead of Prince Philip?
GettyAccording to an interview with Hugo Vickers for Fox News Digital, the author revealed that while researching material for his book, he learned that the Queen Mother would have rather that Elizabeth marry Hugh, the Earl of Euston.
Vickers said, “The Queen Mother was very keen that [her daughter] should marry a Grenadier Guard. The Grenadier Guards [are] the most prestigious of all the British regiments. If you’re a Grenadier Guard, you are the top.”
The author continued, “Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, as young girls, were contained in Windsor Castle during [World War II]. There were quite a number of Grenadier Guards stationed. And Princess Margaret used to say that the whole of the castle was surrounded by barbed wire, which wouldn’t have kept the Germans out, but certainly kept [them] in.”
“With all of these Grenadier Guards around the place, the Queen Mother was very much hoping — she placed a number of Grenadier Guards, as it were, on Princess Elizabeth’s path. She would have loved her to marry Lord Euston. I think it was slightly in the cards at one point, and that could have happened.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Were Married For 73 Years
According to Vogue, the first meeting of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark left a lasting impression on the young princess.
The outlet reported that the teenagers first met at Britannia Royal Naval College in 1939. Philip was 18 and Elizabeth, 13.
The two reportedly exchanged letters throughout the war. When Philip returned from his service in 1946, his and Elizabeth’s relationship reportedly became serious.
Prince Philip proposed to Princess Elizabeth in 1946 when the future queen was just 20 years old. The couple kept their engagement private for several months, waiting until after her 21st birthday before publicly sharing the news on July 9, 1947.
Author Hugo Vickers said, “I think it was a much better choice that Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip. He was a breath of fresh air, and had a very good naval career during the war. He was bursting with ideas. They feared he would be a modernizer. They were absolutely right.”
He added that he believed the Duke of Grafton, a charming and cultured man, “would not have been a modernizer or a vibrant influence on how to move the House of Windsor forward.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip welcomed four children, then-Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and Prince Edward.
Prince Phillip passed away on April 9, 2021. Queen Elizabeth followed 17 months later on September 8, 2022.
