Today, 74 years ago, a momentous occasion occurred that would lead to what is perhaps one of the most iconic marriages in royal history. On 9th July 1947, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of the then Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten. Here’s a look back at their timeless love story.
Philip is actually a second cousin once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and a third cousin through Queen Victoria to the now-reigning monarch. Philip and Elizabeth first met in 1934 at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (Philip’s cousin) to Prince George, Duke of Kent (an uncle of Elizabeth).
Philip joined the Royal Navy in early 1939 and attended the Royal Naval College where he met Elizabeth once again. There, they began exchanging letters. Philip served with the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets during World War II and in 1946, the couple became secretly engaged when the Prince asked King George VI for his daughter’s hand. The king granted it, on the condition that a formal engagement announcement was delayed until after his daughter’s 21st birthday. According to reports, both the king and his wife were a little reluctant to approve the marriage, fearing Elizabeth was “too young,” History Extra says.
Prince Philip actually abandoned his Danish and Greek titles, being born a prince of both countries, converted to Anglicanism from Greek Orthodoxy, became a naturalised British subject and adopted the surnamed Mountbatten from his maternal grandparents. This was done due to fears of how Philip would be accepted into society, considering the fact he considered himself Danish and had German ties through his sisters’ marriages.
After the official engagement was announced, Elizabeth and Philip tied the knot just five months late on 20th November 1947. Their union was described as a genuine romance by King George: “Our daughter is marrying the man she loves,” he reportedly said at his daughter’s wedding breakfast.
The royal couple went on to becoming the longest-married British monarch, surpassing the marriage of George III to Queen Charlotte by more than 13 years.
This will be the first year that the Queen will be commemorating their anniversary without her husband. Prince Philip sadly passed away earlier this year on 9th April, aged 99.