It’s been seven decades since Prince Philip wrote to Queen Elizabeth II to say he had “fallen in love completely and unreservedly” with her, and the couple have been together ever since — through marriage, childbirths, triumphs and trials.
An 8-year-old Elizabeth met Philip in 1934 while attending a wedding for Princess Marina and Prince George. Five years later, the pair reconnected at ages 13 and 18 while they were at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. Their second encounter is where they fell in love and began exchanging letters.
After getting engaged in July 1947, they tied the knot that November at Westminster Abbey in London. They would go on to welcome four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” the monarch said during a speech on her golden wedding anniversary in 1997. “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.”
Elizabeth and Philip went on to become the longest-married couple in the history of the British royal family. “[Their love] has withstood the test of time primarily because they love one another very much,” royal expert Christopher Warwick told Vanity Fair in May 2020. “In a private capacity, he has always been deferred to by the queen as head of the family.”
The British historian continued, “It’s a very symbiotic relationship and a very firm partnership, starting off, of course, with these early meetings, this early correspondence — which became a friendship, which became affection, which became love.”
Philip, for his part, spoke about what he believes has helped create a long-lasting bond between the pair. “I think the main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage,” he said while celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. “It may not be quite so important when things are going well, but it is absolutely vital when the going gets difficult. You can take it from me that the queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.”
In November 2020, the duo marked 73 years of marriage, but their tale took a turn three months later when Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital as a “precautionary measure” after feeling ill. He was discharged one month later — his longest hospital stay to date — after receiving “treatment for an infection and a successful procedure for a preexisting condition.”
News broke in April 2021 that the duke had died at 99. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle,” the family’s statement read. “The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss. Further announcements will be made in due course.”
See the timeline below to relive their early romance, their engagement and wedding, and the ups and downs of their marriage.
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July 1939: First Meeting
While on a tour of the Royal Naval College, Elizabeth’s parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, asked Philip, then 18, to escort their children, Elizabeth, and Margaret. Philip and Elizabeth, then 13, began exchanging letters.
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July 1947: Engagement Announced
Elizabeth and Philip’s engagement was announced in the court circular. “It is with the greatest of pleasure that the King and Queen announce the betrothal of their dearly beloved daughter, the Princess Elizabeth, to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten RN, son of the late Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Andrew … to which union the King has gladly given his consent,” the statement read.
Philip reportedly proposed to Elizabeth the prior summer, with King George VI agreeing to the union on the condition that the engagement would be announced after Elizabeth’s 21st birthday.
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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November 1947: Wedding
The royal couple tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in front of about 2,000 guests in a restrained ceremony in keeping with Britain’s post-war austerity. They honeymooned at the Scottish royal estate of Balmoral.
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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November 1948: Birth of Charles
On November 14, 1948, just before Elizabeth and Philip celebrated their first wedding anniversary, they welcomed their first child: Charles Philip Arthur George.
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August 1950: Birth of Anne
The couple welcomed Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, their second child and only daughter, on August 15, 1950.
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February 1952: Death of King George VI
Elizabeth and Philip were touring Kenya when word came through that George VI had died in his sleep, leaving Elizabeth the heir to the British throne. She returned to London and was proclaimed Queen and Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith, and she and Philip and their kids moved out of Clarence House and into Buckingham Palace.
Credit: Fox Photos/Getty Images
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June 1953: Elizabeth’s Coronation
With more than 8,000 guests present at Westminster Abbey and 20 million people tuning in across the world, Elizabeth was coronated as Queen on June 2, 1953. During the coronation, Philip knelt and told her, “I, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship.”
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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February 1960: Birth of Andrew and Establishment of New Name
Just days before the birth of third child Andrew Albert Christian Edward on February 19, 1960, Elizabeth told the Privy Council that her descendants would carry the name Mountbatten-Windsor, a combination of her surname and Philip’s, so they would be distinguished from the rest of the royal family.
Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Victoria was just 16 when she fell for her first cousin, German Prince Albert, deeming him an “angel” who was both clever and determined. Princess Elizabeth was smitten with her cousin, the strapping Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, from the tender age of 13. Both Queens had good instincts, with their chosen husbands proving to be loyal supporters and dedicated fathers. “No mention of the Queen is complete without paying tribute to my grandfather, Prince Philip, who has devoted his life to supporting her,” Prince William one said.
LOTS OF CHILDREN
Victoria and Albert had nine children— five girls and four boys. Prior to Albert’s early death at 42 in 1861, paintings depicted the Royal Family as the portrait of domestic bliss: a virtuous couple surrounded by their cherubic children. Elizabeth and Philip are parents of four, with eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They took their roles seriously; during her honeymoon, Elizabeth wrote to her parents, “I only hope that I can bring up my children in the happy atmosphere of love and fairness which Margaret and I have grown up in.”
COMMITTED TO THE JOB
Queen Victoria’s reign – 63 years and seven months – literally defined a period of British history: the Victorian era consisted of 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes. It was an “epoch of progress,” as Victoria herself called it. Apart from a period of secluded mourning after her husband’s death, Victoria was an active and present monarch. The same, of course, is true of our Queen, who, at age 90, still carries out hundreds of public engagements each year.
FOND OF HORSES
Victoria, who took to riding to improve her health after her husband’s death, was known for her love of all animals, particularly dogs and horses. The same can be said of our Queen. The modern-day monarch has overseen the breeding of dogs and race horses, and has kept corgis as pets throughout her reign. She also enjoys riding, and attended her annual birthday celebration, Trooping the Colour, on horseback until 1986, when she turned 60.
QUEEN BY CHANCE
Queen Victoria’s father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was fourth in line to the throne after his older brothers, but none of them had children, leaving his daughter to inherit the throne. Princess Elizabeth’s uncle, King Edward, abdicated – putting the crown on her father’s head, and thus her own.
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