On 20 November 1947,Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh tied the knot at London’s Westminster Abbey. Their marriage would last more than 70 years until Philip’s passing in 2021.
Elizabeth and Philip shared a royal history with both being
descended from Queen Victoria and Denmark’s King Christian but
their lives had been very different. Elizabeth became heir to the
throne at the age of ten while Philip went into exile as a baby
when the royal family of Greece fell.
The two
would first meet in 1934 at the wedding of Philip’s cousin,
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Prince George, Duke of
Kent (Elizabeth’s uncle.) The two would cross paths again in 1937
and then again in 1939 during an engagement at the Royal Naval
College in Dartmouth in July 1939.
While
Elizabeth was only 13 at the time, she fell in love and began to
exchange letters with Philip. Chips Channon (a former British
Conservative Politician) made an entry in his diary referencing the
future marriage of the couple as early as 1941. “He is to be
our Prince Consort, and that is why he is serving in our
Navy.”
In 1946, the couple became secretly
engaged when Philip asked King George VI for his daughter’s hand in
marriage. However, The King made a request, He wanted to hold off
on any formal engagement until Elizabeth’s 21st birthday the
following April. The couple would make an official announcement on
9 July 1947. Following their 1947 wedding, the couple would be
married for 74 years.
Following
the passing of King George VI in February 1952, Elizabeth, who was
only 25 years old became Queen while Philip became Consort. Living
until the age of 99, he would become the longest-serving royal
consort in British history. Meanwhile, Elizabeth became the
longest-reigning British monarch with a reign lasting 70
years.
During their
marriage, the couple had four children – King Charles III, The
Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward (now, the Duke of
Edinburgh.)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are buried
at the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside St George’s Chapel at
Windsor Castle.
