Queen Elizabeth II wore the British crown for 70 years, but she wore her wedding ring even longer.
She was married to her beloved husband, Prince Philip, for 74 years, until his death in April 2021 marked the end of one of the longest royal romances in the world.Royal consorts, past and future, in Britain's changing monarchy
The two spent years exchanging letters. Philip’s service in World War II kept them apart, but when it was over, he returned to London and asked King George VI for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. Initially intended to be a small, family wedding, the Windsors changed course and used the royal wedding as an opportunity to boost national morale, which had been devastated by the war. Pomp and circumstance befitting a princess lined the streets of London. Onlookers waved the Union Jack as the heiress’ carriage rolled by.
But things became more complicated on Feb. 6, 1952, when George VI passed away, elevating Elizabeth to Queen. She and Philip were touring the commonwealth and were in Kenya when she learned of her father’s passing. Queen Elizabeth II receives the homage of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at their coronation in Westminster Abbey. In most marital traditions, the wife takes on the last name of her husband. That had been traditionally true in British royal marriages before Elizabeth’s reign began.
Philip privately complained that he was the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children. But the queen had a remedy for that.
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