Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten
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| Date | 20 November 1947 |
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| Venue | Westminster Abbey |
| Location | London, England |
| Participants |
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The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten (later Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) took place on Thursday 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom. The bride was the oldest daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) as well as the heir presumptive to the British throne. Although Philip was born a prince of Greece and Denmark, he stopped using these titles when he became a British citizen four months before the announcement of their marriage. On the morning of the wedding, he was made Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich.
Background
[change | change source]Elizabeth and Philip were second cousins once removed. They are related through Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel and third cousins through Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Princess Elizabeth met Prince Philip in 1934, at the wedding of Philip's cousin Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Prince George, Duke of Kent, uncle of Elizabeth, and again in 1937.[1]
After another meeting at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in July 1939, 13 years old—Elizabeth fell in love with Philip and they began to sending letters.[2] As early as 1941, people began to think Philip was going to marry Elizabeth[3]
Engagement
[change | change source]The couple became secretly engaged in 1946, when Philip asked King George VI for his daughter's hand in marriage. The King supported his request and said the couple had to wait until Elizabeth's 21st birthday the following April for it to become public.[4] Their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947.[5] Philip proposed to Elizabeth with a 3-carat round diamond ring consisting of "a centre stone flanked by 10 smaller pave diamonds."[6] The diamonds were taken from a tiara that belonged to Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, and were also used to create a bracelet for Elizabeth.[7]
Wedding
[change | change source]Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten married at 11:30 GMT on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey.[8] Elizabeth became the tenth member of the royal family to be married at the Abbey.[9]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Brandreth, pp. 133–139; Lacey, pp. 124–125; Pimlott, p. 86
- ↑ Bond, p. 10; Brandreth, pp. 132–136, 166–169; Lacey, pp. 119, 126, 135
- ↑ Vickers, Hugo (2000). Alice: princess Andrew of Greece. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 317. ISBN 0-312-28886-7.
- ↑ Brandreth, p. 183
- ↑ Heald, p. 77
- ↑ Robinson, Katie (27 October 2017). "The Untold Story Behind Queen Elizabeth's Engagement Ring". Town & Country. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ↑ Anastasiou, Zoe (6 January 2018). "This Is The Adorable Story Behind Queen Elizabeth's Engagement Ring". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ↑ 60 Diamond Wedding anniversary facts, Official website of the British Monarchy, 18 November 2007, archived from the original on 3 December 2010, retrieved 20 June 2010
- ↑ "70 facts about The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's Wedding". royal.uk. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
