At the longest-serving consort to a British monarch, Prince Philip spent the majority of his life supporting the Queen so he knew a thing or two about entering the Firm as an outsider. But when his sons married, he connected with some daughters-in-law more than others.
WATCH BELOW: Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex share words about Prince Philip after his death
Princess Diana was a shy 19-year-old when she joined the royal family and according to royal expert Ingrid Seward, it was Philip who looked out for her.
“Rather than seeing her as a family friend, Philip recognised Diana as an awkward young girl, who was obviously overawed by the situation,” she wrote for The Sun.
What’s more, when Charles and Diana’s marriage crumbled down, intimate letters between the Princess of Wales and her father-in-law revealed Philip’s sympathetic side.
“We do not approve of either of you having lovers. Charles was silly to risk everything with Camilla for a man in his position. We never dreamed he might feel like leaving you for her. I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind leaving you for Camilla. Such a prospect never even entered our heads,” the Duke of Edinburgh penned.
Diana replied: “Dearest Pa, I was particularly touched by your most recent letter, which proved to me, if I did not already know it, that you really do care. You are very modest about your marriage guidance skills, and I disagree with you!”
When Charles later married Camilla Parker-Bowles, neither he nor the Queen attended the ceremony, but they did appear at the religious blessing and reception.
However, over the years Prince Philip has well and truly welcomed Charles’ second wife into the family.
The Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen attended Camilla’s milestone 60th birthday party and he also stepped out at the same time with Camilla when he formally transferred his role as colonel-in-chief of The Rifles.
The Duchess of Cornwall also visited Philip is hospital during his last few weeks.
Though Philip’s relationship with his second daughter-in-law Sarah Ferguson got off to a good start when she and Prince Andrew married, things soured when Fergie was caught up in scandal.
Following the couple’s separation, Fergie was snapped sunbathing topless and infamous pics emerged of American financial manager, John Bryan, sucking her toes. She was also caught on camera accepting money from an undercover reporter in exchange for promising access to Prince Andrew.
“Philip became more and more irritated with Fergie and what he described as her ‘antics’,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward claimed in the book Prince Philip Revealed. “He began to take every opportunity to criticise her.”
According to royal correspondent James Whitaker, Prince Philip once described the Duchess of York as “having no point” following news of the scandals.
And though the rest of the family appears to have welcomed Fergie back in, it seems she and her late father-in-law never reconciled.
“Her Majesty often has the Duchess for a few days at Balmoral early in her annual summer holiday there, but Prince Philip does not like being in the same building as her. He just can’t bring himself to forgive her for some of the outrageous things she has done,” a source told the Mail on Sunday.
However, there seems to have been one daughter-in-law whom Philip never took issue with.
According to body language expert Judi James, Countess Sophie of Wessex, the wife of the Queen and Prince Philip’s youngest son Prince Edward, is a “healthy match” for her father-in-law.
Not only are Edward and Sophie the only non-divorce in the family, but Philip was said to admire Sophie’s strong work ethic.
“Like [Princess] Anne she isn’t given to complaining or show-boating, she just gets on with the job,” Judi says.
“She also appears to be a bit of a healthy match for her father-in law, showing none of the signs of either intimidation or a desire to impress him that other brides have shown.”
“She has clearly made a strong marriage to Philip’s ‘problem son’ who quit the marines for showbiz against his father’s wishes and she seems to take the same warm, no-nonsense approach to Philip.”
It was Sophie who also added that his death was “very, very peaceful.”
“It was right for him. It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went.”
