At the age of thirteen, Princess Elizabeth—daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and heir to the British throne—met Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and, even at that tender age, fell in love with the man who was her second cousin once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousin through Queen Victoria. They exchanged letters for years, and Elizabeth decided that Philip was the man she would marry.
This union was not without opposition. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was said to have been violently opposed to the marriage, dubbing Philip as “the Hun,” while Royal advisors worried that the Prince’s ties to German relatives would be problematic in the post World War II climate. The Prince renounced his Greek and Danish titles, taking the style of Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten and converted to Anglicanism. Still, this was not enough to quiet his detractors who then considered him an untitled foreigner without a home or country. Nevertheless, the marriage proceeded.
In 1947, the future Queen married Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey. The Princess—ever devoted to her country—insisted on acting as a normal citizen and used ration coupons to purchase the material used by Norman Hartnell for her wedding gown. Further scandal came when the Princess’ uncle, The Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) was not invited to the ceremony—causing her Aunt, Princess Mary, to refuse to attend in protest. Nevertheless, Queen Mary (Elizabeth’s grandmother, widow of King George V and mother of the present King, the Duke of Windsor and Princess Mary) showed her support. And, the nation turned out—as they always do—to witness the Royal wedding.
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Queen Mary enjoyed a nice wedding banquet. No doubt,
she took home a centerpiece. |
A variety of souvenirs were produced—some official, some not—as is always the case. The next obscure book in our series is also from the Pitkin Publishing Company. Entitled, “Princess Elizabeth’s Wedding Day,” it was printed in 1947 to chronicle the event and contains, on the back cover, a message from the Princess to the people of Britain, thanking them for their support. The volume is filled with beautiful pictures, and, in fact, the front cover features a lovely photograph which has been carefully glued on.
Let’s take a look inside…
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Shots of the bride. Here, she's seen in the carriage wearing the Russian Fringe Tiara which
is still a favorite of Her Majesty's. |
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| Big. Royal. Cake. |
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| Walkies. |
Of course, we know how the marriage turned out. Now Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, the Prince Consort and Duke of Edinburgh, they're still married and, presumably, still happy.
