Did Prince Philip Dress Up as Royal Guard? Here's Why Queen Elizabeth is Laughing in 'Prank' Photo

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II spent almost seven decades together. The Duke of Edinburgh, who left for the heavenly abode on Friday, was the longest-serving royal consort for the British Royal Family. Prince Philip and the Queen journeyed through numerous remarkable and eventful moments together. But one photo that took the social media by storm was ‘the giggling snap’. The picture was taken at an event at Windsor Castle in 2003.

The viral photo shows the Duke of Edinburgh dressed as the Grenadier Guard. He was seen sporting the red uniform and a bearskin akin to a royal guard. The Queen can be seen standing next to him as she giggles. When the image was out on the internet, it was circulated like wildfire claiming Prince Philip pulled out a prank on the Queen. However, the real story is different.

Prince Philip had donned the uniform of the royal guard for he was performing his royal duties. As per a report in The Sun, the Queen’s famous giggle was because of a swarm of bees that derailed the event.

The photographer Chris Young, who was the only photographer present at the review of the Grenadier Guard’s elite Queen’s company regiment, captured this famous image. In conversation with BBC, he told that even a royal beekeeper was summoned to move the bees away.

“I recognised that it was a human moment. She was giggling like a little girl and he was laughing too,” Chris said.The original caption in the PA photo from 2003 also suggests that it was bees, not a prank,that sprung chuckle, hence the ‘the giggling snap’.

Prince Philip was the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards at the time when this picture was clicked. He performed the role from 1975 until 2017. Later, the position was passed on to his son, Prince Andrew.

Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here