all of us here know that we are present at the making of history. as the queen takes her first cautious steps as monarch, she is torn between the palace old guard led by her mother and those like her husband, philip, who want change. with scandals swirling around her sister margaret threatening to tarnish her reign, the queen must assert her power, sacrificing the happiness of those she loves. february 1952. elizabeth ii has been queen for just a few days, following the death of her father, king george vi. shortly after the king s death the queen s uncle holds a dinner party at his house in hampshire. lord louis mountbatten played a key role in the young life of his nephew philip. when philip is a child the greek family are deposed and they flee to exile and his father has no time for him. louis mountbatten takes over as prince philip s guardian, and so he sees him as his son really. lord mountbatten had always had domestic ambitions for his nephew philip. he wa