The Queen and Prince Philip recreate iconic engagement photo for their 70th wedding anniversary
THE Queen and Prince Philip are the picture of devotion as they celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary today.
They wed 70 years ago in Westminster Abbey when the Queen was 21 and her groom a strapping 26-year-old military man.
Today Philip and Lilibet — as her husband calls her — are great-grandparents. And as the Sun’s royal photographer, I’ve witnessed how their love has thrived.
Here I have picked my favourite photographs, one from each decade of their marriage. And, I compare the couple’s engagement photo from 1947 with a new picture taken for their anniversary.
When you see him look at her and she looks at him with a big smile on her face, that tells you everything.
The Queen may be head of state but the Duke of Edinburgh is certainly head of the royal household.
He gave up his naval career to serve the nation as the Queen’s consort.
Philip, of course, doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He speaks his mind and is very blunt. But together they are a top team.
When they are on official engagements, the Queen and the Duke whisper to each other all the time. I’m sure they are commenting on what’s happening.
And if they do have a blazing row in the car on the way to an event, they are in full professional mode by the time they arrive to greet the dignitaries.
But the most important thing I’ve noticed is that they smile and and laugh with each other. They’ve got this wonderful shared sense of humour — and that’s a great thing in a marriage.
That bond has got them through testing times — not least witnessing three of their children going through divorces.
Their incredible milestone will be marked with a dinner for friends and family at Windsor Castle, and the bells of Westminster Abbey will also be rung in celebration.
Happy anniversary, ma’am!
1947: Susan – Elizabeth’s Corgi – was with the couple on their wedding night.
1956: When Philip returned from a voyage, the Queen wore false whiskers as a joke.
1957: The Queen hands Philip a trophy at a polo match in Windsor. I’ve never seen her look more thrilled than when watching her husband compete at either polo, cricket or his more recent passion for carriage driving.
1961: Waving to onlookers after watching a performance of ice show Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs in Liverpool. The Prince looks incredibly dashing and the Queen is a radiant beauty in this wonderful image.
1964: The Queen chose to have a home birth with her last child, Prince Edward.
1972: At their silver wedding banquet, the Queen used the royal “we”, adding: “I mean both of us.”
1972: Look at how relaxed and informal the Queen is as she laughs unselfconsciously at Philip cracking a joke at Balmoral. The Duke’s sense of humour sometimes gets him into trouble – but it draws people to him as well.
1986: This was the first time a British monarch had gone to communist China – but with the Queen in sunglasses and carrying a camera, the couple look more like relaxed tourists visiting the Great Wall. A lovely photo.
1986: China’s leader Deng Xiaoping spat in front of the couple. Philip just chuckled.
1996: The Queen was amused by a dog hose ‘peeing’ water at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1996.
1997: In the wake of Diana’s death, the Queen walks amid the floral tributes left by members of the public outside Buckingham Palace. As ever, the Duke is at her shoulder supporting her. She had never needed him more.
2006: The Duke’s pet name for the Queen is “Cabbage”.
2007: A loving glance exchanged in the grounds of Broadlands. This pose of them walking arm-in-arm recreates a similar photo taken when they had honeymooned at the Hampshire estate 60 years earlier.
2012: Prince William said: “When things go wrong, they’re the first to laugh.”
