Prince Philip Acted ‘Frightfully Bossy,’ Made A ‘Big Fuss’ At Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation

Prince Philip stole the limelight from Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation in 1953. At that time, the Duke of Edinburgh left his wife feeling horrified.

In the book “Lady In Waiting: My Extraordinary Life In the Shadow of The Crown,” royal author Lady Glenconner recounted the time when the dad of four tried to take over while Her Majesty’s official coronation photos were being taken by Cecil Beaton.

Prince Philip reportedly wanted his friend, Baron, to take the photographs. However, Beaton, who had been taking the photos of the royal family for years, was favored by the Queen Mother. In the end, Beaton was the one who was tasked to take photos of the Queen.

“The Duke began to make a great deal of fuss, being frightfully bossy again, telling us where to stand and when to smile. Cecil Beaton was very commanding behind the camera. He was well known for taking a dislike to interfering comments, and the more the Duke of Edinburgh tried to have his say, the tetchier he became,” Glenconner said.

However, Prince Philip continued to command the subjects on how they should pose and smile in front of the camera. When Beaton realized what he had been doing, he called his attention. He said that if Prince Philip wanted to take the official photographs, he should just do it.

The Queen and the late Queen Mother were not pleased with how Prince Philip acted during that time. After the Duke of Edinburgh realized that he had actually gone too far, he decided to leave.

Meanwhile, Prince Philip also fought hard to modernize the monarchy before the Queen’s coronation. He wanted the whole event to be televised so that the public could watch it from the comfort of their homes. However, the Queen Mother and Winston Churchill were reportedly not on board with the idea.

“A religious ceremony should not become a theatrical performance,” the former prime minister said.