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fact, years afterwards when it was too late it was realized that I had never signed an
Official Secrets document.’ 18 Charteris, as he frankly admitted, fell in love with his
employer at his first interview with her in November 1949. ‘There’, he said, ‘was this
really pretty woman, bright blue eyes, blue dress, brooch with huge sapphires. She was
so young, beautiful, dutiful, the most impressive of women.’ Even before he saw her, he
had been impressed by her business-like manner. Arriving early for an 11.30
appointment, he had been received by Boy Browning, who rang through to her at 11.25.
‘Martin Charteris is here to see you, Ma’am. Shall I bring him in?’ There was a crisp
reply, ‘Yes. At half-past eleven.’ They got on, he recalled, ‘really well’, but then he heard
nothing more, so eventually he rang up Colville to ask whether he had got the job or
not. ‘Of course they’re expecting you,’ said Colville. ‘You start work on 1 January.’
Just as news of Crawfie’s ‘betrayal’ came in the autumn of 1949, Elizabeth’s life was
taking a new direction, offering her a means of escape into the real world. The shadow
of her father’s ill-health seemed to have lifted and, as a result, Philip was going back to
sea. He still regarded himself as a working naval officer more than a royal consort. He
helped Elizabeth in her public duties, suggesting phrases for speeches and coaching her
to lower the high girlish tone of her voice. He helped his shy wife rather as the Queen
helped the King, giving her confidence and taking the lead in potentially awkward
situations. ‘She was marvellous at doing her duties,’ one of her ladies-in-waiting said,
‘but she found social things difficult. She was especially shy with people of her own class
and she was outshone by Princess Margaret. She really was agonisingly shy.’ When it
came to social and even public occasions Elizabeth still felt herself very much in the
shadow of her mother, whose social graces were celebrated. On whistlestop train tours
where groups of people would be waiting for her to wave to them, she would say,
‘Mummy would have loved this, she’d be so much better at it…’ Even in her early years
as Queen on world tours she would still sometimes feel outshone by her confident,
glamorous husband and aware of his effect on the female section of the public. When
she attended women’s lunches without him, she would confide with clearsighted
modesty, ‘I know they’d rather see Philip.’
Philip loved Clarence House and enjoyed running his own ‘tight ship’ there, but he
still hoped for his own command and longed to go back to sea. In October 1949 he was
posted as first lieutenant and second-in-command to HMS Chequers, leader of the first
Mediterranean destroyer flotilla based in Malta. Also there was his uncle Mountbatten
in command of the First Cruiser Squadron, having made the strange transition from
Viceroy and then the first Governor-General of an independent India back to serving
naval officer. Although promoted to Vice-Admiral he was not even second-in-command
of the Mediterranean Fleet, then one of the most powerful naval forces afloat. When in
port, Philip spent a lot of time with his uncle and aunt at the Villa Guardamangia.
According to his uncle, their initial reunion was not easy. Prince Philip was ‘very busy
showing his independence’ and did so with some brusqueness. Mountbatten was hurt.
‘The trouble about not having a real son of one’s own but only a couple of nephews and
a son-in-law is that however much one may like them they will never feel the same way