UK News 06-09-2004 Duchess: My Passion For Philip who: Former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth what: Reveals Duke of Edinburgh`s 20-year "passion" for duchess when: Yesterday snippet: "The wife of a senior aide to the Queen revealed she had a `passionate friendship` with Prince Philip for two decades," reports The Mirror. "The Duchess of Abercorn, 58, said there was a `highly charged chemistry` between her and the 83-year-old Duke." The nature of the relationship is revealed in a new book by former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth, Philip & Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage. The Times says Mr Brandreth has been a friend of the Duke of Edinburgh for ten years and The Duchess was authorised by the Duke to speak to the author. "I did not go to bed with him," she says, recalling her years as the Duke`s confidante, beginning in 1966. "I can understand why people might have thought it, but it didn`t happen. It wasn`t like that. He isn`t like that. It`s complicated and, at the same time, it`s quite simple. He needs a playmate and someone to share his intellectual pursuits." The duchess is married to James, 5th Duke of Abercorn, who was appointed Lord Steward to the Royal household in 2001, says The Scotsman. "The couple, who have three children, have a 5,500-acre estate near Omagh." The Sun says her mother, Lady Kennard, is "one of the Queen`s closest friends". [... more]

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