20 Fascinating Facts About the Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

When you think of royal weddings, the unions of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer might immediately come to mind. But have you ever thought about the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip?

Their love story was anything but a fairytale. Elizabeth's family wasn’t entirely in favor of the match, and Philip's German roots meant he couldn't invite his sisters to the ceremony. The day was filled with drama, romance, lavish gifts—and a tiara mishap at the most inopportune moment. Read on for all the fascinating details about their relationship and the royal wedding at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.

1. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's first encounter was at another royal wedding.

Weddings have long been a place to meet potential partners, and Elizabeth and Philip were no exception. However, it would take over a decade before they became a couple. The two first met when Elizabeth, just 8 years old, attended the 1934 wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (Philip's cousin) to Prince George, Duke of Kent (Elizabeth's uncle). They were distant relatives and would reconnect in 1939, beginning a courtship through written letters (the 1930s version of texting).

2. Prince Philip proposed at Balmoral Castle.

During World War II, the couple had little opportunity to see each other, as Philip was serving as a Royal Navy officer. However, in 1946, Philip returned to London and became a regular visitor at Buckingham Palace. That same year, while staying for a month at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Philip proposed to Elizabeth, and she joyfully accepted without hesitation.

3. Elizabeth and Philip chose to keep their engagement a secret for a while.

Although Elizabeth was quick to accept Philip's proposal, royal marriages followed a different protocol. Her parents—especially her father, the King—had to be consulted first. Upon hearing of his daughter's plans, the King reluctantly agreed to the marriage, but only on the condition that the couple waited until after Elizabeth's 21st birthday to make their engagement public. They complied, and on July 9, 1947, their engagement was officially announced. Just over four months later, on November 20, 1947, they were married.

4. King George VI, Elizabeth's father, was not pleased with his daughter's choice of a partner.

While Elizabeth's parents eventually accepted her relationship with Philip, they weren't initially thrilled. "Despite Philip's British background and his distinguished military service, George VI was worried about how the British public, especially the left-wing, would react to a Greek Prince marrying the heir presumptive," as noted in a 1957 article in TIME Magazine. "Additionally, there was something about Philip's brash manner, his loud laugh, and his blunt, nautical way of speaking that irked the gentle King. And, to top it off, the man couldn't shoot."

Despite Philip's lack of shooting skills, it was clear that Elizabeth was determined to proceed with the marriage. At the King's request, Lord Louis Mountbatten (Philip's uncle) quietly began gauging public opinion on the couple. When a poll in the Sunday Pictorial (now the Sunday Mirror) revealed that 64 percent of its readers were supportive of the match, Elizabeth's wish was finally granted.

It's important to note that those in the direct line of succession to the throne must seek permission to marry from the reigning monarch. Had Elizabeth and Philip not received her father's blessing, their love story might have ended very differently.

5. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were advised to keep their wedding modest.

With the country still recovering from World War II, many political figures felt it was crucial for King George VI to be advised that the wedding should be simple for the sake of national morale. In his book *Austerity Britain, 1945-1951*, David Kynaston explains that the King was warned, "Any banqueting and display at your daughter's wedding will be an insult to the British people at the present time… and we would consider that you would be well advised to order a very quiet wedding in keeping with the times."

6. Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress was inspired by a famous Botticelli painting.

Sir Norman Hartnell, the designer chosen for Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown, drew inspiration from *Primavera*, a renowned 15th-century masterpiece by the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli. As noted by the Royal Trust Collection, Hartnell believed the painting symbolized "rebirth and growth after the war."

Hartnell's design for the dress wasn't approved until mid-August, leaving him with less than three months to finish it. The gown was made from ivory silk and adorned with crystals and 10,000 meticulously placed seed pearls.

7. Queen Elizabeth paid for her wedding dress using ration coupons.

Following World War II, strict rationing was still in place, even for clothing. No exceptions were made, not even for the future queen. As a result, Elizabeth, like many brides of the time, had to use her ration cards to purchase the fabric for her gown. When the public learned of this, hundreds of people sent their own ration cards to the princess to help with the cost of the material. While she was grateful, it would have been illegal for her to accept them, so she had to return all of them.

8. Prince Philip designed Elizabeth's ring using diamonds from his mother's jewelry.

Although Philip Antrobus is officially credited as the jeweler who created the Queen's platinum engagement ring, Prince Philip had a significant role in its design. The ring features a 3-carat round diamond surrounded by 10 smaller pave diamonds, and it holds a deeply personal meaning: the diamonds came from the tiara that Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, wore on her own wedding day (a gift from Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia). There were enough leftover diamonds that a matching bracelet was also made, which Philip gave to Elizabeth as a wedding present.

9. Elizabeth had a last-minute tiara mishap.

Speaking of tiaras, the one Elizabeth wore on her wedding day was a family heirloom that belonged to her mother. Known as Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara, it is one of the most iconic tiaras in the world, featuring 47 distinctive diamond bars. Designed in 1919 by E. Wolff & Co. for Garrard & Co., it used diamonds from a fringe necklace given to Queen Mary as a wedding gift from Queen Victoria. It’s a versatile piece—its fringe can be detached and worn as a necklace. This feature came in handy on Elizabeth's wedding day when the frame of the tiara snapped as she was putting it on. Thankfully, the court jeweler was right there to handle the emergency.

10. Philip had two stag parties.

While the couple agreed to keep the wedding ceremony modest, Philip's stag party was quite the opposite. The night before the wedding, Philip threw a bachelor party at London's Dorchester Club, complete with media coverage.

"An eager press had been invited, but it was meant to follow the customs of the time, which respected royal privacy," Claire Stewart wrote in *As Long As We Both Shall Eat: A History of Wedding Food and Feasts*. "However, the prince's party seemed to be having too much fun, as the press photographers' flash bulbs were soon ripped off and crushed underfoot, with the groom's group continuing their night at the private Belfry Club."

11. There were numerous title changes just before the wedding ceremony.

There are several protocols in place for marrying into the royal family, many of which are outlined in the Act of Settlement of 1701. Consequently, Philip had a few steps to complete before the wedding: aside from renouncing his Greek and Danish titles, he adopted his (British) mother's surname. He was also required to convert from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism. However, King George made sure Philip was rewarded: the day before the wedding, he granted him the title 'His Royal Highness.' On the wedding morning, he bestowed even more titles upon him, including Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.

12. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married at the iconic Westminster Abbey.

Elizabeth and Philip were married at Westminster Abbey at 10:30 a.m. on November 20, 1947. Nearly 25 years earlier, on April 26, 1923, Elizabeth's parents—King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (then the Duke and Duchess of York)—were also married at Westminster Abbey. Princess Elizabeth became the tenth member of the royal family to marry at the Abbey.

13. As per royal tradition, Elizabeth carried a sprig of myrtle in her bouquet.

Princess Elizabeth's white orchid bouquet also featured a sprig of myrtle from the garden at Osborne House, a former royal residence on the Isle of Wight. This tradition, which began with Queen Victoria, has been passed down: Lady Diana Spencer's bouquet also included myrtle from Osborne House, as did Kate Middleton's (pictured). Another royal custom Elizabeth followed: the day after her wedding, her bouquet was sent back to Westminster Abbey and placed atop the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

14. Elizabeth and Philip invited 200 guests to their wedding celebration.

While they made efforts to keep the occasion modest (with few flowers or other displays of opulence), the guest list was undeniably vast. A total of 2,000 guests were invited to the ceremony, with royals from across the globe in attendance, including the King and Queen of Denmark, the King of Iraq, the Shah of Iran, and Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

15. The Duke of Windsor (also known as King Edward VIII) was notably absent from Elizabeth and Philip's wedding guest list.

A great deal of politics is involved in determining who makes it onto the guest list for any wedding, but Philip and Elizabeth faced additional hurdles. Since their wedding took place so soon after World War II, it was considered inappropriate to have any of Philip's German relatives in attendance. This meant that he could not invite his three surviving sisters, all of whom had married German princes. Another notable exclusion? George's brother, The Duke of Windsor, also known as the Royal Formerly Known as King Edward VIII. Edward had abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, thereby altering the line of succession and making Elizabeth the presumptive heir.

16. Approximately 200 million people worldwide tuned in to hear Elizabeth and Philip's wedding ceremony broadcast.

While it’s common today to wake up early to catch a royal wedding (though they’re rare), the technology wasn’t quite there back then. Nonetheless, the excitement surrounding the wedding was immense, and over 200 million people around the world tuned in to BBC Radio to hear the couple exchange vows. Shortly after the event, footage was even shown in cinemas across the country.

17. Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding cake stood an impressive 9 feet tall.

In accordance with royal tradition, the wedding cake for Elizabeth and Philip was a fruitcake, affectionately dubbed 'The 10,000-Mile Wedding Cake' due to the global sourcing of its ingredients, including sugar from Australia's Girl Guides. The name could also refer to its impressive height: the four-tiered cake stood 9 feet tall and weighed an impressive 500 pounds. It was beautifully decorated with the coats of arms from both families and the monograms of the bride and groom. In 2015, a 68-year-old slice of this cake sold for £500 (roughly $750).

18. Elizabeth and Philip were showered with an abundance of gifts and well-wishes.

The outpouring of gifts and well-wishes for the couple reflected global excitement about Elizabeth and Philip’s marriage. They received 10,000 telegrams and over 2,500 gifts from around the world. Among the presents was a piece of cotton lace from Mahatma Gandhi, which he had personally spun and embroidered with the words 'Jai Hind' ('Victory for India'). Other gifts included a box of homegrown apples, 500 tins of pineapple, two dozen handbags, 12 bottles of sloe gin, and 131 pairs of nylon stockings.

19. Many of the wedding gifts that Elizabeth and Philip received were displayed publicly—not just once, but twice.

Rather than keep the generous gifts from their well-wishers private, Elizabeth and Philip chose to showcase most of them for public viewing to benefit charity. Between 1947 and 1948, over 200,000 people visited St. James's Palace to admire the royal wedding gifts. These same gifts were displayed once more in 2007 as part of the 'A Royal Wedding' exhibition, marking the couple's Diamond Wedding anniversary.

20. Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress was also put on display—and later went on a tour.

Princess Elizabeth's iconic wedding dress was displayed to the public at St. James's Palace, attracting fashion enthusiasts. To ensure that more people beyond London could admire the gown, it embarked on a royal tour across the UK, making stops in Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Glasgow.

This story has been updated for 2021.