70 Years and Counting!
Seventy years ago today, Princess Elizabeth married her prince, who became HRH Prince Philip (of Greece and Denmark), Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day. A few short years after they were married, Elizabeth became Queen and, we feel sure, not only did her life change forever but that of her husband probably changed more!
WOW! That is amazing. Their marriage is the longest of any British sovereign and yes, they have been through a lot that we, the public, have seen and we are sure that they have been through a lot that we, the public, have not seen!
(We feel sure, by the way, that the Queen has her fingers crossed at a horse race hoping that her horse will win and not because she is hoping that she will make it through!)
When one thinks back over the past 70 years, one realizes that the changes, socially and industrially, have been many and vast. But, over the bumps and around the turns Elizabeth and Philip have come and, no doubt, they have ended up stronger than ever.
It all started with Princess Elizabeth meeting Prince Philip when she was around 13 and developing what we would call a “crush” on him. They were reunited a few times and finally, Prince Philip asked then King George for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The King granted him his wish but asked that they wait until Princess Elizabeth turned 21 – she was 20 at the time.
As Town & Country notes, “When Prince Philip was getting ready to propose to Queen Elizabeth, he knew he would need a ring fit for a Queen, so he turned to his mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, for advice. She gave him a diamond-and-aquamarine encrusted tiara that she had been given as a wedding gift when she married Prince Andrew of Denmark and Greece. Princess Alice, who was Queen Victoria’s great-granddaughter, was given the diamond tiara by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, the last members of the Romanovs and the Russian royal family.”
(Original Caption) 7/11/1947-London, England- Princess Elizabeth, Britain’s future queen, and Lt. Philip Mountbatten shown at Buckingham Palace. On her engagement finger, the Princess wears a three-diamond ring, symbolic of her bethrotal. Photo was made July 10th when the royal lovers made their first public appearance following announcement of their engagement by King George.
Prince Philip had the tiara taken apart and used some of the stones for what is now Queen Elizabeth’s engagement ring and, indeed, the ring she wears, along with her gold wedding band, every day.
A love story, for sure.
They certainly find humour in life …
…and have had a lot of fun through the years.
Queen Elizabeth paid tribute to her husband on her golden wedding anniversary, celebrating 50 years together.
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” she said.
At 1 p.m. on Monday the bells at Westminster Abbey, where the couple were wed, tolled to mark the milestone.
… they are quite the couple! They share love and joy, for sure, and a lot of laughter!
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