LONDON (UK) – Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary on Friday. However, they will not be able to enjoy the company of their family on the happy occasion as England is under a pandemic lockdown.
Elizabeth, 94, and Philip, 99, walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey on Nov. 20, 1947, just two years after World War Two came to an end.
In order to mark the solemn occasion, Buckingham Palace released a photo showing the smiling Queen and her husband looking at a hand-made greeting card made by their great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, alongside other cards and letters from well-wishers.
The snap was clicked at Windsor Castle, where the royal couple is residing during the lockdown.
In what is seen as a throwback to the early days of their marriage, the Queen was seen wearing a chrysanthemum brooch studded with sapphires and diamonds, which she first wore for photographs taken at Broadlands in southern England during their honeymoon.
They first met while attending the wedding of Philip’s cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, to Elizabeth’s uncle, the Duke of Kent, in 1934.
The duo again met when Philip’s future wife, who was then 13 years old, visited the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth where he was a cadet.
Although like any married couple Elizabeth and Philip have had their fair share of difficulties in their relationship, they avoided the travails of three of their four children whose marriages ended in separation. The most notable one was their eldest son Prince Charles divorcing his late first wife, Princess Diana.
“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Elizabeth said when the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.