Elizabeth and Philip: A Royal Wedding

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - then and now. Image from Youtube

The sad and gloomy feel throughout the country after the end of the World War II was changed into an upbeat mood with the wedding of Princess Elizabeth, heiress presumptive to the throne of the United Kingdom, to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, born Prince Philip of Greece, on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. The notion of a post-war Renaissance was consciously echoed by the designer, Norman Hartnell, who created an exquisite wedding dress inspired by Botticelli’s Primavera. The white satin gown was garlanded with York roses, star flowers and orange blossom, all encrusted with pearls and crystals.

It was a grey and damp morning and in the last minute, panic hit the young bride. A tiara mishap happened . That morning , while the hairdresser was attaching Queen Mary’s fringe tiara on the bride’s veil, the antique metal frame snapped. Elizabeth was terrified but her mother reminded her daughter that she could always choose other tiaras. The bride, however, insisted that she wanted to wear that particular piece. The court jeweller hastened to the nearest Garrard workshop to have the tiara mended.   

Accompanied by eight bridesmaids and two pageboys, a throng of crowd came out to greet their future queen. The nation has never been this ecstatic! Her long walk down the nave was met by the sound of the choir singing ‘Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven’.  The groom, in his ordinary naval uniform, stood at the altar and patiently waited for the bride. That morning, King George VI had conferred upon him the title of Duke Edinburgh.

The group wedding portrait following the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. Image from NPG

The Archbishop of York, who gave the address, told the couple:”Notwithstanding the splendor and national significance of the service in this Abbey, it is in all essentials the same as it would be for any cottager who might be married this afternoon in some small country church.”

After the solemn ceremony, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh left the Abbey through the west Door to the accomplishment of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March. They travelled through the crowded and drizzly streets of London in the Glass Coach, with its scarlet-livered outriders and Household Cavalry escort, followed by the King and Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary and Princess Andrew of Greece (Philip’s mother) and some 30 foreign royal guests-a colorful parade that thrilled the waiting crowds.

After the requisite balcony appearance a wedding breakfast was held for 150 guests, with a menu featuring unrationed partridges and Filet de Sole Mountbatten. After the reception the couple were showered with rose petals by their family, and drove in an open carriage to Waterloo Station, beginning their honeymoon at Broadlands in Hampshire.