Exactly 75 years ago, on November 20, 1947, the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten took place. After 4.5 years, they became Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Prince Consort Philip. It is symbolic that 75 years of marriage, according to Russian tradition, is called the “crown wedding”. Unfortunately, they will not be able to mark her – the British Queen died on September 8, and her husband passed away a year and a half earlier.

Elizabeth and Philip are fourth cousins ​​and brothers, they have a common great-grandmother. As the then Prince of Greece and Denmark, young Philip entered the British Royal Naval College, which in 1939 was visited by King George VI and his daughters. It was then that the 18-year-old Philip struck down the 13-year-old Elizabeth with his humor and excellent physical shape. Correspondence began.

Philip graduated from college with the rank of midshipman and went to the front. Despite participation in the war, he did not break the epistolary connection with Elizabeth. After his return from the front, the seriousness of their relationship with the heir to the British throne was not in doubt. However, George VI doubted – he considered the prince of Greece not a very worthy party for his daughter. But Elizabeth’s confidence in her chosen one left him no choice – the king agreed to the marriage. And on July 10, 1947, Philip made an offer. One of the main British newspapers, the Daily Mail, then came out with the editorial “Palace: It’s official … They are engaged (Palace: it’s official … they are engaged).

The wedding of Elizabeth and Philip was the first in the world, which was broadcast on the radio – the British media wrote about 200 million listeners around the world. Elizabeth wore an ivory dress and her mother’s diamond tiara. The ceremony at Westminster Abbey was attended by 2,000 guests, 91 singers were involved, 10,000 congratulatory telegrams were received, and a wedding breakfast was given at Buckingham Palace. And all this was considered quite modest by royal standards. Their marriage lasted 73 years, becoming the longest in the history of the British monarchy.