Why Prince Philip’s efficient running of the royal household raised eyebrows

Prince Philip, as husband to Queen Elizabeth II, understood the necessity of making choices that might not always garner widespread approval but were essential for the smooth functioning and stability of the monarchy.

Since his passing at the age of 99, royal expert Ingrid Seward has revealed that when the Queen ascended the throne in 1953, Prince Philip made some “sweeping changes” that made him very unpopular in the royal household.

Speaking to GB News Seward said the Duke of Edinburgh was forced to brush aside his naval ambitions to support the Queen.

“When the Queen’s father became really ill he was on service in Malta. He realised then that his naval days were going to be over and that he had to do what he was destined to do, which was support his wife, the Queen, as monarch,” she explained.

The GB News host quizzed Seward on how the Duke’s military career might have affected how he gave and took orders in Buckingham Palace.

“Well, Philip started to make the orders because he saw that the household was run in a very inefficient way,” Seward said.

“He was an extremely efficient man, he wanted things to run smoothly. He became a little bit unpopular because he started making quite sweeping changes within the royal household to make it more efficient and that wasn’t always popular with the established members of the staff that were there.

“Philip always said my duty is to support my wife as monarch. And that’s the position he never wavered from.

“Whatever else he did, he was always supporting his wife, the Queen.

“I think that really big sense of duty was what held them both together over the years.

“Apart from the other obvious things like his sense of humour, his loyalty and his ability just to get on with life and make things happen.

“I suppose he was a bit of a house husband, although he would loathe that expression.”