Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten facts for kids
Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten after their wedding
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| Date | 20 November 1947 |
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| Venue | Westminster Abbey |
| Location | London, England |
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On Thursday, November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten got married at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom. Princess Elizabeth later became Queen Elizabeth II, and Philip became Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Elizabeth was the older daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She was also the next in line to the British throne. Philip was born a prince of Greece and Denmark. However, he gave up these titles when he became a British citizen. This happened four months before his marriage was announced. On the morning of their wedding, he received new titles. He became the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.
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How Elizabeth and Philip Met
Elizabeth and Philip were related in a few ways. They were second cousins once removed through their ancestors Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. They were also third cousins through Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Princess Elizabeth first met Prince Philip in 1934. This was at the wedding of Philip's cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Princess Marina married Prince George, Duke of Kent, who was Elizabeth's uncle. They met again in 1937.
After another meeting in July 1939 at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Elizabeth fell in love with Philip. She was only 13 years old at the time. They started writing letters to each other. Someone even wrote in a diary in 1941 that Philip was expected to become her husband.
Their Secret Engagement
The couple secretly got engaged in 1946. Philip asked King George VI for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. The King agreed, but he wanted them to wait. The official announcement would happen after Elizabeth turned 21. This was in April of the next year.
Their engagement was officially announced on July 9, 1947. Philip proposed with a special diamond ring. It had a large diamond in the middle. Ten smaller diamonds were placed around it. These diamonds came from a tiara that belonged to Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. Some of these diamonds were also used to make a bracelet for Elizabeth.
The King formally agreed to the marriage. This was done in his British Privy Council. It followed the rules of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. The same approval was given in Canada.
The Royal Wedding Day
The Wedding Location
Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten got married at 11:30 GMT. The date was November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth was the tenth member of the royal family to marry at the Abbey.
The Bridal Party
Princess Elizabeth had eight bridesmaids. Her younger sister, Princess Margaret, was one of them. Her first cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, was also a bridesmaid. Other bridesmaids included Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Lady Mary Cambridge, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, Lady Pamela Mountbatten, Margaret Elphinstone, and Diana Bowes-Lyon.
Her cousins, Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent, were page boys. The bridesmaids wore special wreaths in their hair. The page boys wore Royal Stewart tartan kilts.
The best man for Philip was the Marquess of Milford Haven. He was the groom's cousin.
Wedding Clothes and Jewels
Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell. Even for a princess, ration coupons were needed to buy the fabric. The dress was made of duchesse satin. It had designs of star lilies and orange blossoms. Her wedding shoes were satin with silver and small pearls. Elizabeth did her own makeup for the wedding.
Her wedding flowers were prepared by M. H. Longman. The bouquet had white orchids and a sprig of myrtle. This myrtle came from a plant grown from Queen Victoria's wedding bouquet. The day after the wedding, the bouquet was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. This was a tradition started by Elizabeth's mother.
On her wedding morning, Elizabeth's tiara broke while she was getting ready. A jeweller quickly fixed it. Her father gave her two pearl necklaces as a wedding gift. These had belonged to Queen Anne and Queen Caroline. Her diamond and pearl earrings were also old family jewels. Elizabeth realized she had left her pearls at St James's Palace. Her secretary rushed to get them for her.
Philip was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. He wore his dress uniform. It showed his medals and special emblems. He also carried a ceremonial sword. He later used this sword to cut the wedding cake.
The Wedding Ceremony
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The royal family arrived in large carriage processions. Philip arrived at Westminster Abbey with his best man. Princess Elizabeth arrived with her father, the King, in the Irish State Coach.
The ceremony was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher. The Dean of Westminster, Alan Campbell Don, also took part. The Archbishop of York, Cyril Garbett, gave the sermon. The ceremony was broadcast by BBC Radio. About 200 million people around the world listened.
The Wedding Ring
Princess Elizabeth's wedding ring was made of Welsh gold, just like her mother's. The gold came from the Clogau St David's mine. This same gold was used for her mother's ring and later for Princess Anne and Lady Diana Spencer's rings.
Wedding Music
William Neil McKie was the director of music for the wedding. He was the organist at the Abbey. He also wrote a special song for the day. Many hymns and songs were sung. The service began with a special fanfare. It ended with Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March".
New Titles for Philip and Elizabeth
Before the wedding, Philip gave up his Greek and Danish titles. He also changed his religion to Anglicanism. He then used the name "Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten." The day before the wedding, King George gave him the title "Royal Highness." On the wedding morning, November 20, 1947, he received the titles Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.
After their marriage, Elizabeth took her husband's title. She became Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.
Family Celebrations
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After the ceremony, Elizabeth and Philip went to Buckingham Palace. They waved to the crowds from the balcony.
The Wedding Meal
Their wedding meal was held in the Ball-Supper Room at the Palace. The menu included special dishes like Filet de Sole Mountbatten. Music was played by the string band of the Grenadier Guards.
The official wedding cake was made by McVitie & Price. It was a fruitcake with four layers. It stood nine feet tall and weighed about 500 pounds. It was made with many ingredients, including 80 oranges and 660 eggs. World War II had ended only two years before. Some ingredients were still hard to get. So, some cake ingredients were shipped from all over the world. This led to the cake being called "The 10,000 Mile Cake."
The cake had decorations like the families' coats of arms. It also showed the couple's initials and their favorite activities. The couple cut the cake with the Duke of Edinburgh's Mountbatten sword. This sword was a wedding gift from the King.
Wedding Gifts
The couple received over 2,500 wedding presents. These came from all over the world. They also got about 10,000 telegrams of congratulations. The gifts were shown to the public at St James's Palace.
The day after the wedding, the wedding bouquet was returned to Westminster Abbey. It was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. This tradition was started by Elizabeth's mother. The bouquet had white cattleya, odontoglossum, and cypripedium orchids. It also had a sprig of myrtle from a bush planted by Queen Victoria.
Guests at the Wedding
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Many important people attended the wedding. These included members of both the bride's and groom's families.
Bride's Family Members
- The King and Queen, Elizabeth's parents
- The Princess Margaret, Elizabeth's sister
- Queen Mary, Elizabeth's grandmother
- The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Elizabeth's uncle and aunt
- The Duchess of Kent, Elizabeth's aunt
- The Princess Royal's family
- Princess Helena Victoria
- Princess Marie Louise
- Lady Patricia and The Hon. Sir Alexander Ramsay
- The Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
- The Marquess and Marchioness of Cambridge
- The Duchess and Duke of Beaufort
- Lady Helena Gibbs
- The Lady and Lord Elphinstone, Elizabeth's aunt and uncle
- The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Elizabeth's uncle
- The Hon. Mrs John Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth's aunt
- The Countess and Earl Granville, Elizabeth's aunt and uncle
- The Hon. Michael and Mrs Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth's uncle and aunt
- The Hon. David and Mrs Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth's uncle and aunt
Groom's Family Members
- Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, Philip's mother
- The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, Philip's grandmother
- The Crown Princess and Crown Prince of Sweden, Philip's aunt and uncle
- The Marchioness of Milford Haven, Philip's aunt
- The Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Philip's uncle and aunt
- The Queen and King of Yugoslavia
- The Queen Mother of the Romanians
- The King of the Romanians
- The Queen of the Hellenes
- The Duchess of Aosta
- Lady Katherine and Major Richard Brandram
- Prince and Princess George of Greece and Denmark, Philip's uncle and aunt
- The King and Queen of Denmark
- The King of Norway
- Princess Axel of Denmark
- Princess and Prince René of Bourbon-Parma
- The Marquess and Marchioness of Carisbrooke
- Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain
- The Count and Countess of Barcelona
- The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg
Other Important Guests
- Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia
- Prince Andrew of Yugoslavia
- The Prince Regent of Belgium
- Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
- The King of Iraq
Some people were not invited. The Duke of Windsor, the former king, was not there. Philip's German relatives were also not invited. This was because World War II had only recently ended.
The Honeymoon
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After the wedding, the couple took a train to Hampshire. They spent their wedding night at the home of Philip's uncle, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in Broadlands. From there, they traveled to Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate. They spent the rest of their honeymoon there.
For her travel outfit, Elizabeth wore a "mist-blue" dress and matching coat. It was also designed by Hartnell.
