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| The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2012 |
In many ways, there simply is not a royal couple like them, with a firm union whose strength has survived the test of time over six decades.
It is a union rooted in a deep love that began during a meeting in 1939, on the eve of World War II. Then, Elizabeth was a 13 year old princess and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was an 18 year old cadet at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. They were distant cousins - both descended from Queen Victoria - and had met previously during royal gatherings in 1934 and 1937. On this occasion however, George VI and Queen Elizabeth were visiting Dartmouth, and Philip was assigned to look after Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret.
By most accounts, it was on this day that the future Queen fell in love with the dashing naval cadet and never really had anyone else in mind from that day forward.
Philip graduated from Dartmouth in 1940 at the top of his class, and was immediately commissioned into the Royal Navy, where he served honorably in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters of the Second World War.
Throughout it all, he and Elizabeth and Philip kept up a correspondence as they exchanged letters and saw each other when Philip was in Britain on leave. After the war, it was becoming clear that their relationship was serious, and in the summer of 1946, Philip asked George VI for his daughter's hand in marriage. Some of the older and stuffier courtiers, as well as other members of the establishment were wary about Philip due to his brash manners and bluntness in speaking, his Germanic background (including the fact that some in-laws had fought on the Nazi side in WWII), and his relationship to his uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, whom some considered to be a political liberal.
The King was more concerned about his daughter marrying at a young age, but he agreed to allow the marriage on the condition that the formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth turned 21. During that time, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles, converted from Greek Orthodox to Anglicanism, became a naturalized British subject, and adopted the surname Mountbatten from his maternal relatives in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Elizabeth traveled with her parents and sister for a visit to South Africa in the spring of 1947. Part of the trip was designed to get the Princess away from Britain and allow her some time to think about her relationship with Philip and whether to go ahead with the marriage. She celebrated her 21st birthday in South Africa and made the famous radio broadcast in which she dedicated her life to the service of the Empire and Commonwealth. Upon her arrival back in the UK, she was more determined than ever to marry Philip.
On July 10, 1947, Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten formally announced their engagement, and they were married at Westminster Abbey on November 20th in a ceremony that was broadcast by the BBC to over 200 million people across the world via radio. Just before the wedding, Philip was given the style of Royal Highness and he was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.
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| The young royal couple while on a tour of Canada |
The couple moved into Clarence House, and in following year, they had their first child, Prince Charles on November 14th, followed by Princess Anne in 1950. Philip continued his career in the Royal Navy, and was stationed in Malta, where was joined by Elizabeth. It was here that they were able to enjoy life as an ordinary naval couple, and they socialized and mingled with other naval couples who were stationed there. For them, it may have been the happiest period of their marriage since they were able to live normally and without the gaze of the media.
All of this came to an end on February 6, 1952 when George VI died, and it was Philip who broke the news to his wife, who was now Queen Elizabeth II. With the move to Buckingham Palace and the job of supporting his wife taking precedence over virtually everything else, the Duke’s naval career effectively came to an end. At the first-ever televised coronation in 1953, he dutifully paid homage to his Queen and wife – pledging to be her “liege-man of life and limb.”
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| Then newly-crowned Queen and her prince consort on Coronation Day |
Since then, the Queen and the Duke have remained strong in their relationship and their marriage has held firm. In 1957, she made Philip a Prince of the United Kingdom, which restored to him the princely status he had given up before their marriage, and their family expanded as they welcomed two more children: Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.
As time has gone on, they have stood the test of time as Britain and the Commonwealth experienced exponential political, social, demographic, and economic changes. Within their family, they faced increased media intrusion and scrutiny of their personal lives. They watched the very public scandals and destruction of the marriages of three of their children in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Then came the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, which saw the Queen facing her biggest crisis – more so than the annus horrilibis in 1992 – as she and the royal family were accused of being indifferent to Diana’s death by staying at Balmoral and not sharing in the public grief. The awesome weight of the monarchy probably felt full on the Queen’s shoulders as its very existence was questioned as never before. However, she did have the support of her loyal husband, and support for the monarchy rebounded following their return to London, where she delivered a moving tribute to Diana and attended the funeral at Westminster Abbey.
In November of that year, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and at a banquet held by the Lord Mayor of London, Prince Philip praised the Queen for having the “quality of tolerance in abundance” in the partnership of their marriage. The next day – the actual day of the anniversary – at a banquet hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Queen paid tribute to Prince Philip by remarking that he had been the “strength and stay” of her life. Indeed, it has been said by some commentators and by members of the royal family that she could not have fulfilled her duties as monarch without him.
They do complement each other: the Duke’s bluntness and faint whiff of mischief to the Queen’s more subtle and serious demeanor in public. It is probably because of these differences – balanced by their common interests in things such as horses and outdoor life – that has made their marriage work for over 65 years. During that time, they have carried out many royal duties together around the world, in which the Duke as had to walk two paces behind his wife. Any issues arising from this – and there have been some – have not been discussed in detail by either of them, and has likely been outmatched by the love and understanding that they have each other.
The result is that their union has remained strong, and they have been able to witness their children and grandchildren take their place in the workings of the modern monarchy. They can also rest easy knowing that the monarchy is secure and stable for at least another century with the birth of Prince George.
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| Still going strong after six decades |
However, do not expect them to rest too much. Philip, at the age of 92, is the longest-serving consort (male or female), as well as the longest-lived spouse to a reigning monarch in British history, but he will continue to support his Queen and wife in whatever way he can do. The Queen herself is already the longest-lived British monarch, and she is well on her way to becoming the longest-reigning one also, and yet, at the age of 87, she is also moving forward with her usual duties and responsibilities.
With the love and support they have for each other, the Queen and the Duke have held on in the face of everything, and in that sense, they are the ultimate royal couple.
Photo Credit: Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons cc, BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives via Flickr cc, West Midlands Police via Flickr cc
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