Katharina Buczek
Nonetheless, the Princess did not care– and the pair’s wedding was formally announced in July of 1947.
And that November, Princess Elizabeth and Philip got married at Westminster Abbey in front of a crowd of two thousand people.
“I wonder if Philip knows what he is taking on. One day Lilibet will be queen, and he will be consort. That’s much harder than being a king, but I think he’s the man for the job,” King George VI, Elizabeth’s father, was allegedly heard saying to a guest during the ceremony.
It’s true– the young newlyweds did think that they would have more time before being confronted with the crown. They lived in Malta for a few years following their vows, where Philip was stationed and welcomed two children– Charles and Anne.
However, King George, unfortunately, became sick and died in only 1952. So, just five years into their marriage, the pair became the most famous people in the world.
Queen Elizabeth was coronated in 1953, where Prince Philip reportedly kneeled before her and pledged to always be her “liege man of life and limb.”
And many believe that Prince Philip really lived up to King George VI’s belief that he was the right man for the task. The couple led a seventy-three-year-long marriage that even the Queen herself accredited her own success.
“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” Queen Elizabeth said of her husband during their fiftieth wedding anniversary lunch.
So, when Prince Philip sadly passed away on April 9, 2021, the Queen was understandably heartbroken. And according to the late Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service, she showed her late husband one last romantic gesture.
During his Ceremonial Royal Funeral on April 17, Queen Elizabeth placed a special wreath comprised of white roses, white lilies, white freesias, white sweet peas, white wax flowers, and jasmine on top of Prince Philip’s coffin.
The wreath was also accompanied by a handwritten note with the Queen’s last words to her husband.
