Elizabeth and Philip - an eternal love

She lived a long and prosperous life, reigning over Great Britain and the Commonwealth for 70 great years, becoming a respected figurehead across the world.

During her time on the throne she oversaw 15 British prime ministers, and met with 13 US presidents. World leaders came and went, but there was always one man by her side. Prince Phillip.

The two shared a love that lasted a lifetime, and he was her constant.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, as they were both known at the time, first met in 1934 at the wedding of Elizabeth’s uncle Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Philip’s cousin Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.

The pair are both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, making them distant cousins. At the time of their first encounter, Elizabeth was just eight years old and wasn’t even tipped for the throne as her uncle Edward was next in line for succession (and was expected to sire an heir).

A few years passed, with the two meeting again in 1939, as Elizabeth, 13, and her family were visiting the Royal Naval College, where Philip, 18, was a cadet in training.

Marion Crawford, Princess Elizabeth’s nanny at the time, later wrote in her 1950 book ‘The Little Princesses’ that it was love at first sight and that she ‘never took her eyes off him’.

The two kept in touch and wrote to each other over the years, with her cousin Margaret Rhodes adding that she ‘never looked at anyone else.’

When Philip was a midshipman on HMS Valiant during the Second World War, Elizabeth kept a photo of him in her room. And once the war ended, Philip became a regular visitor to the royal residences, spending as much time with her as he could at Buckingham Palace, Windsor, and Balmoral.

In 1946 the two became secretly engaged, with a formal announcement made public on July 9, 1947 (after Elizabeth had turned 21) when King George VI gave formal consent to the marriage in his British Privy Council, as per the Royal Marriages Act 1772.

Philip asked for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage with a three-carat round diamond ring consisting of a ‘a centre stone flanked by 10 smaller pave diamonds’, taken from a tiara that once belonged to Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg.

Their engagement didn’t come without controversy, however.

Both King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon initially disapproved of Philip as a suitor for their daughter. “Some of the King's advisors did not think him good enough for her. He was a prince without a home or kingdom. Some of the papers played long and loud tunes on the string of Philip's foreign origin,” wrote Marion Crawford.

Uncertainties aside, Elizabeth's parents grew rather fond of Philip, and a royal wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947. Princess Elizabeth had eight bridesmaids, including her sister Princess Margaret and her cousin Princess Alexandra of Kent, while Philip’s best man was his cousin, the Marquess of Milford Haven.

Princess Elizabeth wore a ‘duchesse satin bridal gown with motifs of star lilies and orange blossoms’ designed by Norman Hartnell, and Philip his naval uniform, with a ceremonial sword in tow which he later used to cut the wedding cake (made by McVitie’s) .

Following their ceremony, the newlyweds made their way to the balcony at Buckingham Palace where they waved to the crowds below before setting off on honeymoon to Broadlands in Hampshire and Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.

Prior to the wedding, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, becoming Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, and on the morning of the wedding, he was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron of Greenwich in the County of London. Similarly, Princess Elizabeth became Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.

Happily married and settling into their new life as husband and wife, the pair soon welcomed their first child, Prince Charles (now King Charles III), born 14 November 1948 at Buckingham Palace.

They then went on to have three more children during their marriage - Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, born in 1950; Prince Andrew, Duke of York, born in 1960; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, born in 1964.

Between the births of Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Philip was by her side, offering support every step of the way. He was chairman of the Coronation Commission, and advocated that the ceremony be broadcast on television – something serving prime minister Winston Churchill was against. He was quoted as saying: “It would be unfitting that the whole ceremony, not only in its secular but also in its religious and spiritual aspects, should be presented as if it were a theatrical performance.”

As the Queen settled into her duties as reigning monarch, she was never without Philip by her side.

As she travelled the world meeting citizens across the Commonwealth, the royal consort was unwavering in his duties – and dedicated his life to supporting the woman he loved.

In 1957, Time magazine attributed the Queen’s growing confidence to her husband, saying that the ‘mousy, slightly frumpy and occasionally frosty bride has blossomed into a self-confidently stylish and often radiantly warm young matron’, and in 1997, Elizabeth herself described Philip as her ‘strength and stay all these years’.

Charles Anson, who was the Queen’s press secretary from 1990 to 1997, referred to Philip as ‘a remarkable consort’.

“He was an enormous help and took a big interest in how things were run day-to-day. Sometimes when I went to see the queen with a work matter, she’d say ‘have you talked to Prince Philip?’ If I said ‘not yet’, she’d say, ‘run it past him’, or ‘talk to him about it’. He was easy to talk to and encouraged dialogue. It’s a mark of the man that he had tremendous loyalty from his staff.”

When asked what he believed helped ensure their marriage lasted as long as it did, Philip was quoted as saying on their 50th wedding anniversary: “I think the main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage. 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.”

That same evening, Queen Elizabeth II said of her husband: “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years. 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.”

However, their long and loving marriage came to an end last year following the passing of Prince Philip on April 9 at the age of 99. They had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary the previous November.

At his funeral, Queen Elizabeth II was pictured placing a handwritten note on top of his casket, which appeared to read ‘I love you’, and had her childhood name, ‘Lilibet’ on it.

Speaking out on her birthday, which took place just a few days after Philip’s funeral, she said: “I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate. While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world. My family and I would like to thank you for all the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”

And during her annual Christmas speech to the nation, she paid tribute to her husband once again, saying: “In the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work — from around the country, the Commonwealth and the world.

“His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation — were all irrepressible. That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him. But life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings; and as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas. And for me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year.”

Nearly a year after this, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch passed away on Thursday September 8, 2022 at Balmoral. As per royal tradition, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried next to her husband, where the two will lay side-by-side in the grounds of Windsor Castle.