There were many majestic milestones in the life and reign of Elizabeth II. From great moments of state and through constitutional crisis, hers was a reign packed with historic events. But there were also very personal moments which, even for this most private of people, took on a personal aspect.
The Queen and Prince Philip marked their 60 years of marriage with a series of photographs recreating images taken on their 1947 honeymoon. They visited Broadlands to take the photos, where they spent the first night of their honeymoon. At the time, it was the home of Philip’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten.
For the recreated photographs, Elizabeth wore the same three strand pearl necklace and sapphire brooch that she wore in the original photos. The Chrysanthemum Brooch is a collection of sapphires and diamonds set in platinum. (She also wore the same brooch in 2020 for photographs marking what would be the couple’s last anniversary together.)
The couple also hosted a family dinner at Clarence House on 18 November to celebrate their anniversary with their family. It was attended by their children and their spouses, and their grandchildren and their spouses (aside from Lady Louise who was only four at the time), as well as the Queen’s cousins, The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Margaret’s children and their spouses.
On 19 November, there was a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in honour of their Diamond Anniversary. Two thousand people filled the Abbey to celebrate the occasion, including several members of the wedding party. One of the seamstresses who had worked on Elizabeth’s Norman Hartnell gown was invited, as well as choristers who performed on the day of the wedding itself.
This anniversary was the first Diamond wedding anniversary celebrated by a British monarch. George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz were married for 57 years before his death in 1820.
