Queen 'died of broken heart' and was never the same after Philip died, says royal expert

dailystar.co.uk:

READ MORE: Royals fans fume that first snap of King Charles with monarch's red box is 'staged' Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown, believes the pain of losing her lifelong partner had a profound effect on Her Majesty in the months to come and feels it eventually took its toll before her death at Balmoral aged 96. "I think she ultimately died of a broken heart really," Nicholl said on Entertainment Tonight. "She was never the same after Philip went...

He was, she said, her strength and stay. He supported her in everything she did in life." Nicholl added: "I think it's fair to say that she wouldn't be the queen she was without the support of Philip."Philip was the longest-serving Royal Consort when he died, having served from the day the Queen took the throne back in February 1952.

They first met back in 1939 at Britannia Royal Naval College, where they were introduced while the Queen was touring the grounds with her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.It was from there that they began exchanging letters, with the Queen just 13 at the time.

Philip asked the King if he could marry his daughter several years later in 1946 - a request that was accepted providing their engagement was delayed until the Queen's 21st birthday the following April.