How Long Has Queen Elizabeth Been Married?

Their love story is straight out of a fairy tale. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh fell in love, got married, raised a family, and stayed together through the decades. Their unique relationship is a shining example of love. They’re an inspiration not only for their own children, but also for the entire country of England.

The Queen fell in love quickly

Many people don’t realize that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are distantly related. It seems a little strange in modern times, but it’s actually quite common in blue blood families to marry relatives. They are third cousins.

Queen Elizabeth met her future groom when she was just 13 years old and apparently it was love at first sight. Philip was 18 and came from a humble family compared to the future queen. As Time magazine describes it, Philip was, “reared as a commoner, has washed dishes, fired boilers, even played on a skittles team organized by the owner of a local pub.”

Elizabeth II’s parents didn’t support the marriage

Elizabeth’s father King George did not want his daughter to marry Philip. But it wasn’t just his country of origin that made him wary of the match. Apparently, the King also disapproved of Philip’s “loud, boisterous laugh and his blunt, seagoing manners.” He was picturing someone a lot more restrained and refined for his little girl.

They got married despite objections

Of course, young adults often do what they want, especially in matters of the heart. Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip on November 20, 1947. The pair just celebrated their 70^th wedding anniversary in 2017. It was their Platinum anniversary, which occurred the same year as the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee. That’s when she celebrated 65 years on the throne.

Prince Philip had to change to marry the Queen

The biggest change Prince Philip had to make in order to marry Queen Elizabeth was to become a naturalized British citizen. At the time the pair wed, sentiments toward Germany were tense after World War II. None of Philip’s German relatives were permitted to attend the wedding. King George didn’t officially announce the engagement until July 9, just a few months before the ceremony.

The Queen used ration coupons to purchase her gown. The government granted the future queen 200 extra coupons so she was able to buy a star-patterned gown with seed pearls imported from the United States.

Their marriage is unique

Every marriage is different, and the one between Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth is no exception. The pair had separate – yet connected – bedrooms from the get-go when they first moved into Clarence House in 1949. The reason? Simple practicality. As Vanity Fair quoted Lady Pamela Mountbatten saying, “You don’t want to be bothered with snoring, or someone flinging a leg around. Then when you are feeling cozy you share your room sometimes. It is lovely to be able to choose.”

Some people think Philip cheated

Celebrities: they’re more tempted than most people to stray, right? Infidelity is common enough, but it would still be quite a shock for Prince Philip to cheat on Queen Elizabeth. Still, there are rumors that Prince Philip was “romantically involved with an unnamed woman whom he met on a regular basis in the West End apartment of a society photographer.”

The allegations made Prince Philip incredibly angry and were never proven true. Still, some believe he may have cheated once upon a time.

They are still in love

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth may not hold hands in public, but they still have massive amounts of affection for one another. They both have a sense of humor and keep each other laughing – one of the most important elements of any marriage.

“Prince Philip is the only man in the world who treats the Queen simply as another human being. He’s the only man who can,” the queen’s former private secretary Lord Charteris said once. “Strange as it may seem, I believe she values that.”