Elizabeth and Philip, a Royal Romance; a Platinum Jubilee Tribute

Married Life

Although Philip had made his intentions known a year earlier, it wasn’t until 1947, after Elizabeth’s 21st birthday, that the engagement was made public. Philip even helped design the engagement ring, using platinum and diamond stones from a tiara his mother, Princess Alice of Greece, owned.

The couple were married in front of 2,000 guests in Westminster Abbey. Just two years after the end of World War Two and with the country still reeling from the conflict, their wedding was a rare moment of celebration, Winston Churchill calling it “a flash of colour on the hard road we travel”.

The following year, Charles was born, and then their daughter Anne. They were able to live a relatively normal life and film footage from the time shows a young couple, relaxed in each other’s company, enjoying time away from ceremonies and duty.

All that was to change on 6 February 1952, with the premature death of King George VI. Queen Elizabeth was just 25 years old and Prince Philip aged 30. They always knew the princess was destined to become Queen but had expected a few more years to live their own lives.