The portrayal of Prince Philip’s relationship with the blonde beauty beauty, also known as Lady Penny Brabourne, will reportedly be explored in Nexflix’s The Crown.
The Queen’s husband, who passed away in April aged 99, will be played by Jonathan Pryce and actress Natascha McElhone will portray 68-year-old Penny.
A TV insider told The Sun: “This is a relationship which naturally raised a few eyebrows and sparked quite a few whispers, but Philip and Penny maintained they were just friends.
“The makers of The Crown believe it is a relationship worthy of exploring and casting a veteran actor like Natascha is a reflection of how high profile the role is.”
It was confirmed earlier this year that Her Majesty will be played by Nanny McPhee star Imelda Staunton.
Penny was considered a close confidante of Prince Philip’s and was known to be a loyal companion who stayed with him regularly at Wood Farm.
The aristocrat is thought to have met Philip in 1974 when she was dating Norton Knatchbull, now the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, one of Prince Charles’s closest friends at Gordonstoun School in Scotland.
While much has been made of their shared passion for the sport of carriage driving, their ties were deep and went back decades.
The Duke and Penny were often together at events such as the Royal Windsor Horse Show, sometimes on matching mini-motorbikes as they rode around the course they would later follow in their carriages.
Controversially, even though only 30 attendees were allowed at Prince Philip’s funeral, Penny was one of the mourners invited for the service. This decision by the widowed queen surprised many loyal followers of the royal family.
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The controversy comes after an explosive tell-all by The Duke and Duchess of Surrey, where Harry Meghan accused a member of the royal family of being racist and bullying Meghan after Prince Harry denounced his royal title and moved to America.
The new series, which is currently being filmed, is set for release in 2022.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk