Who knew ‘love’ in tennis does not necessarily have to reciprocate in literal terms when it comes to the romantic ‘love’ life? The world is mourning the sudden demise of Queen Elizabeth II. The queen lost her husband, Prince Philip last year in April. They both lived legendary lives and were each other’s support system.

Interestingly, the couple bonded over a meeting on the tennis courts of Devon which then changed the course of their relationship.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip’s romance blossomed over a tennis court meeting

The anecdote is pretty interesting to talk about. In 1939, Queen Elizabeth visited the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Devon with her father King George VI, and her sister. It was their first publicized meeting.

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As per the official biographer of King George VI, Sir John-Wheeler Bennett, the princess had instantly fallen in love with the Greek prince. He stated, “This was the man with whom Princess Elizabeth had been in love from their first meeting.”

Prince Phillip made his best impression by showing off his athletic skills. He jumped over the tennis nets which amused Lilibet. Her governess, Marion Crawford, however, recalled, “I thought he showed off a good deal.” Nonetheless, even she could see how mesmerized the princess was with the young athletic Phillip. She stated, “She never took her eyes off him the whole time.”

Royal family and tennis

However, that was not the case for the Duke. Referring to their meeting in 1939 in Dartmouth, Prince Phillip had once told his biographer Basil Boothroyd, “Well, we’d met at Dartmouth, and as far as I was concerned it was a very amusing experience.” He added, “Going on board the yacht and meeting them, and that sort of thing, and that was that.”

Nonetheless, the meeting led to a fruitful marriage and companionship of the couple for astounding 73 years. The Queen’s sad demise is being mourned all over the UK. Prince Charles has declared a 17-day mourning period for her.

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The royal family of the UK is of tennis lovers. Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton is the patron of All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Moreover, she enjoys a game with her husband, Prince William, and her kids. Recently, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made Prince George’s debut at Wimbledon where they saw the finals between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios.