Throughout season five, Prince Phillip is often seen with Penny Knatchbull, the wife of his godson and nephew, Norton Knatchbull, but how much of their onscreen relationship is real? Turns out, just about all of it. While "The Crown" at points suggests there may have been some kind of spark between the two, there was no such thing in real life. Prince Philip and Penny were simply very close friends over the years.
When Penny's daughter Lenora died of kidney cancer in 1991, Prince Philip was "a tremendous support during a time of unimaginable grief," according to one source via The Sun. Immediately after the death of Lenora, the Prince showed Penny how to drive carriages, which even led to her competing in a number of driving competitions with him. Outside of bonding over the sport, Penny and Prince Philip worked together on The Leonora Children's Cancer Fund, which the Knatchbulls established in 1994, as reported by Harper's Bazaar.
Their friendship lasted nearly 30 years until the Prince's death in 2021. Penny was one of the select 30 guests in attendance at his funeral service.