He accepted living in her shadow. She forgave his periodic gaffes.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip will celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary on November 20, marking 70 years since they married in the splendour of Westminster Abbey.
Despite three of their four children (Charles, Anne and Andrew) having divorced, this royal union has endured through the decades without any public hint of marital strife. No events are planned to celebrate their landmark, but the bells of Westminster Abbey will ring at 1300 GMT in tribute. Elizabeth and Philip will spend the day with other members of the royal family, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
After 70 years of marriage it’s a burgeoning clan, with four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They expect to welcome a sixth great-grandchild in April, when Prince William and wife Kate Middleton’s third child is due.
Prince Philip, 96, the Duke of Edinburgh, retired from the public eye this summer, enjoying his new-found free time reading and painting. The Queen, 91, is slowly passing over some of her official duties to her son Prince Charles, now 69.
Love at first sight
It was a version of love at first sight. Elizabeth was aged just 13 when she first laid eyes on her future husband Philip, then a dashing 18-year-old blond army officer.
Prior to the wedding, the Queen Mother asked her future son-in-law if he would cherish her daughter. ”Cherish Lilibet [Elizabeth’s childhood nickname]? I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me,” he had replied.
On his 90th birthday in 2011, she surprised him by making him Lord High Admiral. It was reported to be a show of gratitude for his unstinting support for her.
