A Royal Celebration: 70 Years of Marriage
A Royal Celebration: 70 Years of Marriage
Next Monday, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip will celebrate a milestone with their 70th wedding anniversary. The royal pair first met in 1934 when Elizabeth was just eight years old. Five years later they reconnected and began exchanging letters, before marrying in 1947 when Elizabeth was 21 and Philip 26.
Prince Charles, the royal couple’s first child, was born in November 1948. Princess Anne was born two years later in 1950.
In 1957, Prince Philip – who was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark – famously renounced his own royal titles in order to better commit to the British royal family. The pair have frequented the majority of public outings, memorials and events together over the past seven decades.
View some of our favourite images of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the gallery below.
- Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh walk in the grounds of Broadlands, England, on their honeymoon, November 1947.
- Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh view the restored bed-chamber at the Maritime Museum in London, May 1, 1990.
- Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, sits in the House of Lords before delivering her speech at the State Opening of Parliament May 14.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive to lay a wreath at the Durban Cenotaph in memory of those who died in wars this century, November 14.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip laugh after bidding farewell to the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina at Windsor Castle in Windsor, southern England April 11, 2014.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive for the State Opening of Parliament in London, November 15, 2006.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the Beating the Retreat ceremony on Horseguards Parade, June 13.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip travel by horse drawn carriage through the grounds of Windsor Castle, near London, on their way back from the Order of the Garter service at St George’s Chapel, June 14, 2004.
- U.S. President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip pose for a picture at the Grand Foyer of the White House for a State Dinner in Washington, May 7, 2007.
- U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle pose for a photograph with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace in London April 1, 2009.
- Queen Elizabeth, her husband Prince Philip and Pippa Middleton stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, following the wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London April 29, 2011.
- Queen Elizabeth II presents her husband Prince Philip with New Zealand’s highest honour, the Order of New Zealand at Buckingham Palace in London June 6, 2013.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walk through a field of ceramic poppies that form part of the art installation “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red”, at the Tower of London in London October 16, 2014.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip present gifts to Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican April 3, 2014.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip laugh during a ceremonial welcome for Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife Angelica Rivera, at Horse Guards Parade in London March 3, 2015. The President and his wife are guests of Queen Elizabeth during their three day state visit to Britain.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive on Parliament Hill in a horse drawn carriage July 1.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip leave a private party for the Queen at the Ritz Hotel in London November 14, 2002.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are pictured in the Royal Box at the Royal Albert Hall during the Annual Festival of Remembrance in London November 7, 2015.
- Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince Willian holding Prince George, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, and Prince Philip stand on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in central London, Britain June 13, 2015.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visit the harbour of Valletta during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Valletta, Malta November 28, 2015.
- An Asiatic lioness looks towards Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as they officially opened the “Land of the Lions” enclosure at London Zoo in London, Britain, March 17, 2016.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are driven past well-wishers during celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday, in Windsor, Britain April 21, 2016.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip travel in a carriage to Horseguards Parade for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London, Britain June 11, 2016.
- Members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge holding Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip watch a flypast as they stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horseguards Parade in central London, Britain June 11, 2016.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip stand on the balcony of Liverpool Town Hall during a visit to Liverpool, Britain June 22, 2016.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip watch the sack race at the annual Braemar Highland Gathering in Braemar, Scotland, Britain September 3, 2016.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend a service to mark the Centenary of the Order of the British Empire at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, May 24, 2017.
- Queen Elizabeth II watches Prince Philip feed an elephant during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo where she opened the new Centre for Elephant Care, in Dunstable, Britain April 11, 2017.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend Trooping the Colour in London, Britain, June 17, 2017.
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip bid farewell to Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain July 14, 2017.