Let’s get the big one out of the way first: Helene Cordet. She was a French nightclub singer and a longtime friend of Philip’s from before his marriage. The rumor mill went into overdrive because he was godfather to her two children, born around the same time as Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
Here’s the thing, though—Philip knew Helene’s husband, too. The husband was a French car racer named Henry, and it’s widely accepted that Philip was simply a supportive friend. But logic doesn’t stop a good story, does it? The tabloids had a field day with the timing, but no solid proof ever surfaced.
Then there’s Patricia Kirkwood, a chorus girl who Philip supposedly met at a party in the 1940s. She wrote a memoir years later claiming they had a “hanky-panky” moment. But here’s the kicker: she admitted in the same book that the whole thing was “nothing”—just a bit of flirty fun, not an affair.
The "Buckingham Palace Gate" Scandal
This one is my favorite because it sounds so dramatic. In the 1950s, a newspaper reported that Philip was spotted sneaking a woman into the Palace through a back gate after dark. The courtiers scrambled to deny it, and the story died a quick death.
Why? Because the woman in question was later identified as Princess Alexandra, his cousin. A literal family member. And she was just visiting for dinner. So much for the scandal of the century, huh? Sometimes the truth is boring.
Royal romance: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s long love affair
