British musical to use Prince Phillip's letters to stage actress

London: Highly sensitive letters written by Queen Elizabeth’s husband to a British stage actress will feature in a controversial new musical. The letters, all signed by Prince Philip, and sent from Balmoral and Sandringham on his personal notepaper, were written to the late Pat Kirkwood, a stage and screen star, whose magnificent legs were once described by the critic Kenneth Tynan as “the eighth wonder of the world”.

His correspondence, and Kirkwood’s outspoken replies, which discusses Philip’s views on the coverage of his private life by the media, are to feature in a new one-woman stage musical, “Pat Kirkwood Is Angry”, starring leading mezzo-soprano Jessica Walker.

Kirkwood’s first meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1948, when they were both 27 and danced the night away cheek-to-cheek in a London nightclub while the Queen was eight months pregnant with Prince Charles, fuelled decades of speculation about their relationship.

The rumours are said to have cost Kirkwood the chance of recognition in the Honours list. She died in 2007 at the age of 86. The letters that passed between the pair are now in the possession of royal biographer Michael Thornton, who was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: “My instructions, in accordance with Pat’s will, are that I am to hand these letters to the Duke’s official biographer after his death.”

Jessica Walker, who has sung leading roles at Glyndebourne and opens with the new show at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in October, says: “I have not been allowed to see the actual documents, but I have been given access to significant passages.”

“They show how deeply the rumours which endured for 60 years affected her. She was furious with the Palace for not protecting her,” she added. In 1993 Kirkwood complained to Philip that with some support, “the matter could have been squashed years ago instead of (me) having to battle a sea of sharks single-handed”.

For his part Philip told her: “Short of starting libel proceedings, there is absolutely nothing to be done”. Later, he added: “After nearly 40 years of such treatment, I am more or less hardened to this sort of thing”. The 91-year-old Prince spent five nights at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a “precaution” last month after a recurrence of a bladder infection he had in June.

PTI