Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s sleep divorce might sound radical but it’s right on trend today

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s reported sleep divorce might sound radical but it’s right on trend as a topic of discussion today.

The late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married for 73 years and for many people theirs was the epitome of a perfect relationship. Their grandson Prince Harry once described them as the most “adorable couple” who were “very much in love”. So it might come as a surprise to some that the devoted couple are said to have slept in separate bedrooms rather than together every night. 

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s sleep divorce is reportedly the norm for those of their class but whilst it might sound radical, it’s a much-talked about topic right now.

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Sleep divorce just means that a couple chooses to sleep separately and according to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s relative Lady Pamela Hicks, this is something they used to do. In Sally Bedell Smith’s 2012 biography, Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, Lady Pamela, who was also the late monarch’s Lady-in-Waiting, explained that the “upper classes” were accustomed to this sleeping arrangement. 

“In England the upper class always have had separate bedrooms,” she claimed. “You don’t want to be bothered with snoring, or someone flinging a leg around. Then when you are feeling cosy you share your room sometimes, It is lovely to be able to choose.”

Reflecting upon Lady Pamela’s remarks to Vanity Fair in an adaption from her book, Sally alleged that when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip moved into Clarence House in 1949 they had adjacent but connecting bedrooms. This was just two years after the couple married and so if the suggestions are correct then Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s sleep divorce is something they seem to have started early on in their relationship.

Although it’s been claimed that the couple followed tradition with their supposed sleep divorce, this approach to sleeping is something that is being much-talked about at the moment. Especially if couples are able to get a better quality night’s sleep by sleeping separately, sleep divorce could be an option to consider.

Opening up to Becky Smith for womanandhome, Dr Guy Meadows, co-founder and clinical lead of Sleep School declared that "good quality sleep helps to emotionally reset us, enabling us to wake up happier and have a more positive outlook on the world and those around us, something that can only be good for our relationships."

He also revealed that if there are “differing sleep habits” within a couple then “timings, comfort needs, and work schedules all have the potential to disturb sleep quality” too. 

Meanwhile, actor Cameron Diaz has recently spoken out about the subject of sleep divorce, stating her belief that “we should normalise having separate bedrooms” more generally, even though she and her husband Benji Madden don’t sleep separately themselves. 

Whilst it’s not known if there were any reasons for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s sleep divorce other than simply following tradition, it seems the royal couple had reportedly long been on board with this much-discussed concept. 

Following Prince Philip’s retirement from public duties in 2017 it’s understood that the couple also lived apart at times too, with the Queen largely based at Buckingham Palace and him spending a lot of time at Sandringham. Regardless of this, they remained each other’s confidantes and their marriage is one of the most iconic and successful royal relationships in British history. 

Dr Guy Meadows

Dr Guy Meadows has been studying human physiology for 24 years, 19 of which have been devoted to sleep research and the prevention of sleeping disorders. He graduated with a first-class BSc Honours degree from Glamorgan University, then an MSc (Distinction) at King's College London in Human and Applied Physiology, and completed his doctorate at Imperial College London. Whilst studying there, he worked in the sleep research laboratories of the Royal Brompton and Charing Cross Hospitals, where he investigated the effects of sleep apnoea on the regulation of the human brain.