On November 20, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip would have celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. On this occasion, GALA traces the love story of the royal dream couple.
The love between Queen Elizabeth, † 96, and Prince Philip, † 99, was not at first sight. No wonder, since the two met at a very young age: for the first time at a wedding in 1934, a second time at the coronation of Elizabeth’s father as King George VI. 1937. At just eleven years old, the princess was still too young for love – but the sparks sparked when she met Philip for the third time.
Queen Elizabeth falls in love with Prince Philip
In July 1939, 13-year-old Elizabeth attended Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, with her parents and sister Princess Margaret. While King George VI. and Queen Elizabeth, later Queen Mum, complete their appointments, Philip entertains the girls. The Queen falls head over heels in love with her companion. No wonder: at 18, with blond hair, blue eyes and an athletic figure, Philip is what one would call a heartthrob these days. In addition, Philip, who was born on June 10, 1921 on the island of Corfu, is of noble birth: his parents are Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Princess Elizabeth (2nd from right) and her sister Princess (right), accompanied by Lord and Lady Mountbatten, visiting the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on 22 July 1939. Elizabeth is said to have fallen in love with Philip that day.
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A picture of a man: Prince Philip in 1937 at a polo match.
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A love on hold
“There was a whole battalion of bright young men,” Lady Anne Glenconner, whose family were friends and neighbors of Elizabeth’s parents, recalled to Vogue in 2011. But Princess Elizabeth “saw her fate and thankfully set her heart on Prince Philip at an early age.” However, this affection is initially one-sided.
Because of the age difference, Philip has no romantic interest in Elizabeth. The two still stay in touch. Occasionally, Philip even visits Windsor Castle. In the meantime, he’s making a career in the Navy and serving in World War II – and his feelings for the princess are rekindled. In a letter to Elizabeth he expresses his intense happiness. He asks if he “deserved all the good things” that happened to him, especially “falling completely and unconditionally in love.” The answer is yes, he deserved it. On July 9, 1947, he and Elizabeth give birth announced their engagement, despite resistance.
The Look of Love: Elizabeth Philip beams happily in photos released to mark her engagement.
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Criticism of Elizabeth’s future husband – also from Queen Mum
King George VI likes the young man his daughter chose. However, according to many British aristocrats and courtiers, Philip is not the best match for the princess. Queen Elizabeth also sees it this way: as a son-in-law, she prefers a man from her daughter’s circle of friends. But why?
“Some royal advisors felt he wasn’t good enough for them. He was a prince without a home and a kingdom. Some newspapers often and extensively referred to his foreign origin”, writes Elizabeth’s nanny Marion Crawford in her 1952 book The Little Princesses.
The war against the hated Germans only ended in 1945 – and Prince Philip has German roots. Although his mother was born in Buckingham Palace, she has German parents. But that’s not all: Each of Prince Philip’s four sisters has a German nobleman as a husband, and they are said to have connections to the National Socialists. Another downside for Philip: He brings no fortune to the Windsor family. His father died in poverty in Monte Carlo in December 1944.
Princess Elizabeth loves Philip Mountbatten. Her mother, Queen Elizabeth (later: Queen Mum), has to come to terms with that. King George agrees with his eldest daughter’s future husband. The family poses here with Princess Margaret at Buckingham Palace in 1947.
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Princess Elizabeth only wants one man: Philip
But for Elizabeth it is clear: Prince Philip is the man of her life. Margaret Rhodes, the Queen’s cousin, once said: “She never looked at anyone else”.
Writing for Vogue in 2011, Royal author Sally Bedell Smith said of Elizabeth and Philip’s marriage: “It was clear it wasn’t going to be easy, but it certainly wasn’t going to be boring. He shared her devotion to duty and service, but there was also a irreverence about him that could help ease her official strains at the end of a busy day.” According to Patricia Mountbatten, Philip’s cousin, Elizabeth sees that “Philip had an ability to love that was waiting to unfold – and through Elizabeth it unfolded”.
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Elizabeth and Philip marry
For love of Elizabeth, Philip gives up his foreign royal titles, converts to the Church of England and becomes a British citizen. He takes the surname Mountbatten, an English version of his mother’s maiden name. On the day before the wedding, King George VI. his future son-in-law the illustrious titles Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. He also decrees that Philip should be addressed as “His Royal Highness”.
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21-year-old Elizabeth and 26-year-old Philip tied the knot on November 20, 1947 in London’s Westminster Abbey. During the ceremony, it is Elizabeth who provides a special token of love: she adds to her vows to “obey” Philip as a wife (“to obey”). A commitment that not everyone agrees with.
Tenor: As a future queen, Elizabeth should be under no obligation to anyone, including her husband. But, TIME magazine writes, it was important to Elizabeth to express “her devotion to her spouse and her comfort with the traditional duties of a wife” in this way. Maybe because she was aware that the day would come when Prince Philip would always have to walk two steps behind his queen…
Sources used: vogue.com, bcc.com, mailonline.com, telegraph.co.uk, theguardian.com, theguardian.com, time.com