The marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has lasted longer than any marriage in the royal monarchy, going strong for over 70 years. Most people are not privy to their romance which could serve as a plot for a regency novel but theirs is a story that attests to their love for each other.
According to reports, Queen Elizabeth II's father King George VI was originally opposed to the idea of marrying off his daughter to Prince Philip. It was said the Duke of Edinburgh was a Greek prince but the king preferred a British aristocrat to be his son in law.
He was also opposed to the idea that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were very distant cousins and he was not a fan of his personality. Despite these obstacles, King George, who loved his daughter very much, adhered to her wishes to marry Philip whom she fell in love with at the age of eight. Some accounts argued that the pair did not meet until the Queen was 13. Because of King George's wishes, they had to wait until Elizabeth was 21 before their engagement was announced and their wedding planned.
For his part, Prince Philip proved his love for Queen Elizabeth II in the most selfless way possible after he gave up his beloved career in the Navy to be her consort. At the time of their engagement, he was considered to be a rising star among the young officers and if he had not gotten married to a royal, he could have risen above the ranks and became a renowned general. It was said that he was very happy and passionate about his life as an officer and giving it up to marry for love was proof of his deep love for Elizabeth.
Their love story was already riddled with challenges and the royal wedding was no different. Reports indicated that the wedding was filled with a lot of royal mishaps from a broken tiara that had to get last minute repairs, to a missing bouquet, to a beloved corgi hidden in the carriage to join the couple for their honeymoon. Despite the challenges, Queen Elizabeth II and her beloved Philip Mountbatten still carried on and gotten married to commit their lives to each other, a report said. As a matter of fact, there was nothing but happy smiles in the royal couple's wedding pictures, even those that were taken while the bouquet was nowhere to be found.
The love match was quite surprising because according to experts because they were complete opposites.But this was also the reason that the marriage worked for as long as it did.
"This was a marriage between temperamental opposites which has been notable, not just for its longevity, but for the marvellous mutual supportiveness that has characterised it," Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said.
Along with being partners in raising their children Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, their strong partnership was borne of mutual support and respect.
"Philip has had two main aims, to support the Queen and the institution of monarchy. In these he has succeeded brilliantly though not without an idiosyncratic quality which has on occasion made him controversial," Fitzwilliams said. While Prince Philip, who is now 98 years old, has retired from his royal duties, it is believed that he still provides counsel for his wife, which she always values.
