Queen Elizabeth & Prince Phillip Celebrate 72nd Wedding Anniversary
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip have reached a milestone event in their marriage. The royal couple is celebrating their 72nd wedding anniversary.
The official Instagram of the royal family posted a sweet throwback photo of the couple on their wedding day as they waved to their subjects from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on November 20, 1947, four months after they announced their engagement.
In the black-and-white photo, Elizabeth, just five years short of being crowned the Queen of England, wore a stunning Norman Hartnell gown made of ivory silk and decorated with crystal accents. Phillip stood next to her in his military best, waving to the crowd who gathered to wish the couple well.
That image was followed by a second and more current photo of the couple at an official palace event where the Queen is wearing a lovely purple suit and hat and is seen carrying a bouquet of flowers with Phillip by her side.
Fans were thrilled to hear the news of the couple’s anniversary and penned their sentiments in the comments section of the photos seen below.
“Wow! That is an amazing achievement!” said one fan of the royal couple.
A second follower of the family stated, “Happy anniversary! What a beautiful companionship to celebrate.”
“Congratulations to Her Majesty & Prince Phillip on a Marriage of incredible longevity, devotion, love & abiding friendship,” said a third royal watcher.
At the time of their wedding, which took place at Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth was just 21 and Phillip, 26.
Elizabeth was a princess at the time of her marriage and arrived at Westminster Abbey alongside her father, King George VI, in an Irish State Coach. Just before the wedding, Phillip was given the official title of The Duke of Edinburgh, stated the royal family’s official website.
The event was extravagant for the time. Elizabeth boasted eight bridesmaids and over 2,000 guests attended the ceremony.
The couple’s ceremony was recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio to 200 million people around the world, making it one of the most listened to events in British history reported the royal family’s official website.
Just five years after she and Phillip wed, Elizabeth would assume the responsibilities of the monarchy from her father in February 1952, shortly after his passing. Elizabeth would officially be crowned Queen of England on June 2, 1953, reported Biography. Her coronation ceremony was broadcast on television, allowing people from around the world to bear witness to the extravagant event.
Reader’s Digest reported that the couple, second cousins who initially met when Elizabeth was just 13 and Phillip 17, would go on to welcome four children to their family: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip are grandparents of eight including Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James Viscount Severn.
The couple also boasts eight great-grandchildren including Savannah and Isla Phillips, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Mia, and Lena Tindall, and Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor.
Prince Phillip retired from royal duties in August 2017. Queen Elizabeth rules as the monarch of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. She is also Head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of The Church of England, and Head of The Armed Forces
