The heiress to the British throne was in love with the grandson of the Greek ruler since the age of 13 and never doubted that she would marry him in the future. But the same cannot be said about Philip himself.
Few people know, but a few years before the wedding with Elizabeth II, Philip planned to connect his life with a completely different girl and even seriously thought about starting a family with her. It was an aspiring actress and model from America, Cobina Wright.
Philip in his young years courted many girls, and he himself received enough attention from the opposite sex. However, in the summer of 1938 he fell in love for the first time. Then the 17-year-old blond heir of the King of Greece came to visit his aunt Aspasia in Venice, and Cobina Wright - to her grandmother.
Both spent time in the evenings among the local beau monde, where they met. Philip fell in love with the beauty literally at first sight. He immediately began to show her signs of attention, trying to win the girl's heart. Cobina also had her eye on an attractive young man, but tried to hide her feelings.
The fact is that the actress planned to conquer Hollywood and even signed a long-term contract with the studio 20th Century Fox, as well as a number of modeling agencies.
The girl had a successful film career in mind, so she did not think to stay in Venice, let alone marry Philip. Although the romantic feelings of young people were mutual.
An important role in the relationship between Philip and Cobina was played by the latter's mother. She was eager to marry her daughter to a promising royal heir, and her daughter wanted to do everything in spite of her mother.
"When Wright and her mother went to America, Philip vowed to follow them and cried, kissing his beloved goodbye. Her friend Gang Gaither claimed that Cobina often received love letters from the Duke, in which he said that he wanted to marry her, but she did not see their future together," the book "Young Prince Philip: His Tumultuous Life" reports.
It is known that in a few months, Cobina Wright got married in America and left show business in order to devote herself to her family. In 1968, her husband died and bequeathed all his inheritance to his parents, leaving the widow without money and any property.
On this basis, she began to drink a lot, and then was treated for alcoholism for a long time. Over time, Cobina coped with her addiction and devoted herself to volunteering. Once in an interview, she admitted that Philip became one of the main men in her life, whose photos and letters she kept all these years.
