No profession, no say, no freedom of expression. Life as a prince consort is not exactly pleasure taxing. No constitution ascribes any function to the husband of a queen. Nowhere does it say what he must or must not do. A life in the shadow of the crown. Can that go well?
History knows many prince consorts. Some have broken with their role, others were good at exploiting the vacuum. One can hardly imagine the Queen without Prince Philip. For more than 70 years he has stood his ground at the side of the most famous woman in the world. And he himself has legendary status, not only thanks to his snappy sayings. Against internal and external resistance, he has succeeded in becoming the integration figure of the British Kingdom and an icon of the present day. Monarchy is teamwork. A partner at eye level is worth its weight in gold. Two other prince consorts have also shown this: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, husband of the legendary Queen Victoria, and Claus von Amsberg, husband of the former Dutch Queen Beatrix.
Filmmaker Julia Melchior illuminates the biographies of Prince Philip, Prince Albert and Prince Claus in an anecdote-rich and multi-layered way and analyses the light and dark sides in the lives of these prince consorts. Even though the three met their fates differently, they have one thing in common: the stable marriage on which their wives were able to build their reign. Thus the film shows that while prince consort is a thankless supporting role, it is also an indispensable one.
Prince Consorts - In the Shadow of the Crown
No profession, no say, no freedom of expression. Life as a prince consort is not exactly pleasure taxing. No constitution ascribes any function to the husband of a queen. Nowhere does it say what he must or must not do. A life in the shadow of the crown. Can that go well?
