Book: Queen Elizabeth Got Violent With Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II once attacked Prince Philip during a very public heated argument, throwing a tennis racket and shoes at him — and it was all caught on film. The incident took place in 1954, when the couple was on a royal tour of Australia. Dozens of members of a film crew were following the tired couple around, filming a documentary of their tour, when Elizabeth lost her temper and began hurling items at Philip.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward, who recently published the book "Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century," which draws on stories from numerous friends and associates close to the royal couple, recounted the argument in an interview with Fox News.

"Their tempers were very frayed," she explained. "This film crew was standing outside their little holiday villa. The next thing they knew, Prince Philip appeared on the balcony, followed by a tennis racket and a pair of tennis shoes thrown at his head. The queen came out and shouted at him to come back. She then grabbed [Philip] and dragged him back inside. Of course, you can imagine how this sort of frumpy press secretary at the time was absolutely terrified."

Shortly after the spat, the royal press secretary went outside and demanded that filming stop immediately.

"He ran over to the crew and said, 'We cannot have this on film,'" Seward said. "'This is a disaster. Give me your film. You weren’t meant to be filming this.'"

The film was handed over to Elizabeth, who later apologized to the film crew.

"I am sorry for that little interlude," she said, according to Seward. "But as you know it happens in every marriage, doesn’t it?"

Elizabeth and Philip have been married since Nov. 20, 1947, and like most couples, have had their share of arguments over the years.

"He was quite sharp with his wife," Seward said of Philip. "He used to drive at top speed everywhere, which would make her very nervous. So she would start to take deep breaths. He would then tell her, 'If you carry on breathing like that, I’ll put you out of the car.' There was a time when a person sitting next to her said, 'Why don’t you tell him off?' She said, 'Because I know he will stop the car and put me out!'"

Elizabeth was not innocent either, Seward added.

"But the queen gives it back just as much," she shared. "He would call her a bloody fool and accuse her of talking rubbish. She’ll then speak in riddles as he tries to figure out what she’s talking about."

Despite their squabbles, the couple has stuck together through the ups and downs. Seward believes the secret to their success lies with Philip, who felt it was his job and duty to support his wife.

"Philip decided he must support the institution of the monarchy, which means looking after the queen at all times," she said. "He is aware that the people only want the royals if they can respect them. So that became very important to him."