Advertisement

Queen and Duke celebrate 73 years together, alone

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary, an occasion they will be unable to share with their family as England is under coronavirus lockdown.

Nov 20, 2020, updated Nov 20, 2020
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh look at a homemade wedding anniversary card, given to them by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. (Photo: AP: Chris Jackson)

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh look at a homemade wedding anniversary card, given to them by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. (Photo: AP: Chris Jackson)

Elizabeth, 94, and Philip, 99, married in London’s Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, just two years after the end of World War II.

To mark their anniversary, Buckingham Palace released a photograph of a smiling monarch and her husband looking at a card made by her great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, alongside other cards and letters from wellwishers.

The picture was taken at Windsor Castle, the Queen’s home west of London where the couple is staying during the lockdown.

In a nod to their early days of marriage, the Queen was wearing a chrysanthemum brooch, made of sapphires and diamonds, that she wore for pictures taken at Broadlands in southern England during the first part of their honeymoon.

The Queen and Duke on their wedding day.

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The couple first met when they attended the wedding of Philip’s cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, to Elizabeth’s uncle, the Duke of Kent, in 1934.

Philip gained the attention of his future wife when the then-13-year-old princess made a visit with her parents to Britain’s Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in southwest England where he was a cadet.

While royal watchers say Elizabeth and Philip have had their ups and downs like any married couple, they have avoided the travails of three of their four children whose marriages have ended in divorce, most notably their eldest son Prince Charles’s ill-fated union with his late first wife Princess Diana.

“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Elizabeth said when the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.

-AAP

Local News Matters
Advertisement

We strive to deliver the best local independent coverage of the issues that matter to Queenslanders.

Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy