Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were married in 1947. Their wedding took place on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey in London, when Elizabeth was still Princess Elizabeth and Philip was the Duke of Edinburgh.
The couple first met in 1939, when Elizabeth was 13 and Philip was an 18-year-old Greek and Danish prince. Their relationship developed through letters during World War II. Their engagement was announced in July 1947, just two years after the war ended.
The wedding became an important national celebration during Britain’s postwar recovery. Elizabeth’s wedding dress famously used rationed fabric coupons, reflecting the continuing shortages of the period. Philip had become a British subject and adopted the surname Mountbatten before the ceremony.
A common mix-up is confusing the wedding year with Elizabeth’s accession to the throne. She became queen in 1952, five years after the marriage. Elizabeth and Philip remained married for more than 73 years, until Philip’s death in 2021.