Prince Philip Had Another Regular Visitor Apart From Queen Elizabeth At His Wood Farm Residence
After his retirement, Prince Philip split his time between Windsor Castle and the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Prince Philip stood alongside Queen Elizabeth II through some of the most trying times in history, and also amidst trouble in the family. He officially retired from his royal duties in August 2017, and after that, he chose to live a much quieter and private life. He was often seen splitting his time between Windsor Castle and the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, as his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, had to stay back at Windsor Castle. However, Philip’s main residence at the time was a five-bedroom cottage called Wood Farm, which is also located on the Sandringham estate. During this period, Elizabeth occasionally joined him, but according to a new book, he had one more regular visitor from the family.
In his new book titled "Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History," author Hugo Vickers wrote, "He [Philip] was at his happiest at Wood Farm, and he more or less settled there. In the course of the next two and a half years, that was his home. He enjoyed his carriage-driving, read voraciously, and painted a little." As reported by HELLO Magazine, he added, "From time to time, [the Queen] went up by train to Norfolk to stay the weekend. Once again, she gave him a loose rein. In a sense, they separated. Penny Romsey, the new Countess Mountbatten, often stayed with him there."
Penelope Knatchbull, commonly known as the Countess Mountbatten of Burma or Penny Romsey, is married to Norton Knatchbull, the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Norton is the grandson of Philip’s uncle, Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten and the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Since 2010, Penny has held the position of High Steward of Romsey, a ceremonial title that involves representing and supporting the town, assisting the mayor, and contributing to local charitable initiatives.
After her marriage into the extended royal family, she was also spotted attending several royal events, such as the Royal Windsor Horse Show, as a special guest. Reports have claimed that Penny even shared a long-standing interest in carriage driving, a sport in which she once competed alongside Philip. Not just this, she later attended both Philip’s funeral in 2021 and Elizabeth’s state funeral on 19 September 2022. In another incident, it has been revealed that after Philip’s car accident in January 2019, the Queen reportedly asked Penny to talk to him and persuade him to give up his driving license.
As reported by The U.S. Sun, royal author Ingrid Seward, who wrote the biography titled "Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century," spoke of the accident and said, “The Queen had enlisted the help of the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who visited Philip and helped convince him to give up driving.” The approach reportedly proved effective, as just three weeks after the incident, it was confirmed that Philip had voluntarily given up driving. Penny first met the Prince when she was just 20 years old, while dating her future husband, Norton.
