British are split on Elizabeth's mate

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January 11, 1947


Britons are "sharply divided" over whether or not Princess Elizabeth should marry Prince Philip of Greece, reports the New York Times.

The Sunday Pictorial. which as a circulation of 2,500,000 readers in the United Kingdom, recently took a "poll of readers' opinions" regarding Princess Elizabeth's possible marriage to Prince Philip.

Only 55% of the "letters received" favor a marriage "if the Prince and Princess are in love."   Forty percent were against the marriage of the future Queen with a Greek Prince, and the "remaining 5 percent of those who expressed an opinion," believed that "no political obstacle should be placed in their way if the Princess and the Prince should desire to wed, but that Princess Elizabeth should in this event renounce her right to the throne."

A number of letters from readers showed opposition to the marriage, citing the constitutional crisis in 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson.

This controversy is officially for nothing as both Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street are sticking to their "previous denials" that there is any engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

According to the newspaper, "women form the overwhelming majority of those who favor the marriage provided the young couple are in love."  Most of the opposition comes  "from politically minded people, the men just outnumbering the women."  Most of the men do not want the princess to marry a prince from Greece or "with any other foreign royal."

A large number of those who responded would prefer the princess to marry a commoner.