When Sleeping Beauty premiered in 1959, audiences were swept away by the dashing Prince Philip, the first Disney prince to actually have a name. Unlike The Prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the animated film featured a prince with a more robust personality (and one who had numerous lines). But royal watchers and Disney fans have long claimed that Prince Philip might have had a real muse: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
At the time, the duke—who died at the age of 99 in April 2021—was one of the most famous princes in the world, especially to American audiences. Married to Queen Elizabeth since 1947, he had become a familiar figure in newsreels and magazines across the pond. With a commanding presence and adventurous spirit, the royal figure certainly would have made an ideal candidate for Disney animators looking for a more modern and active prince.
While Disney has never officially confirmed the link, it certainly seems like a curious coincidence given the popularity of the glamorous young couple at the time. Speaking to Virgin Radio, Sarah Dunnigan of the University of Edinburgh stated that the idea made sense "due to the huge popularity and idealization of the British royal family in America in the late 1950s."
Beyond the name, the animated Prince Philip was a far cry from the silent princes of earlier Disney films. He slays a dragon and defies his father for the love of Princess Aurora, echoing the real-life duke's reputation for independence and action.
Although the Sleeping Beauty character lives in a 14th-century fantasy world, his namesake was very much a modern man. The late Duke of Edinburgh served as a naval officer before standing by his wife's side as consort—although he carried out his duties with a flair for breaking tradition. It was Philip who was instrumental in convincing the palace to let The Queen's coronation be broadcast on television, an idea that was unheard of at the time. He was also instrumental in modernizing many aspects of the royal household.
More than 60 years later, it's a fitting bit of royal trivia that the man who stood beside Britain's longest-reigning monarch may also have inspired one of Disney's most heroic princes.
