Being married for seven decades is a major
accomplishment for any couple, let alone one
that's spent in the world spotlight since
the day of "I do."
"He has quite simply been my strength and
stay all these years."
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have
shown the world just how far love can go by
withstanding wars, tons of palace intrigue,
and, of course, the pressures of public life.
"I think the lesson that we've learned is
that tolerance is the one essential ingredient
of any happy marriage."
No marriage is completely easy, however, and
even the royal couple has shown some strains
along the way.
So let's take a closer look at some of the
odder facts you may not know about the regal
duo.
Kissing cousins
It may be surprising to some, but the Queen
is actually distantly related to her husband.
The two are third cousins through their shared
great-great grandparents, Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert, who themselves were first cousins.
Elizabeth was just 13 years old when she first
met Philip, but despite her young age and
the fact that they share some of the same
blood lineage, she fell for him pretty quickly.
But even though they share some family members,
Elizabeth grew up on the posher side of the
spectrum, while Philip had a different experience.
He had a more normal childhood, washing dishes
and playing sports through local organizations.
And when she fell in love with him, he was
a naval cadet, while she was destined to take
the crown.
Parental approval
In the beginning, King George VI didn't exactly
approve of his daughter's choice of groom.
The king was concerned about British opinion
when it came to the idea of his daughter marrying
a Greek prince.
And it wasn't just Philip's family heritage
that affected the King's opinion.
Philip's voluminous laugh and wild manners
also reportedly got under the King's skin,
but, in the end, Elizabeth was allowed to
marry the man she loved at the age of 21.
Making a sacrifice
In order to marry Elizabeth, Philip had to
make some changes to his own life.
He had to become a naturalized British citizen,
and none of his German family members were
allowed to come to the wedding, which included
Philip's three sisters who had married German
men.
On top of that, the king did not want to officially
announce his daughter's engagement until she
was 21, so Princess Elizabeth and Philip had
to keep their relationship quiet for some
time until it could be announced.
Rationing a wedding
When one thinks of a royal wedding, words
like glamorous, elegant and extravagant come
to mind.
That's certainly been the case in recent generations,
as with the nuptials of Prince William and
the Duchess of Cambridge.
However, there were certain budgetary constraints
on Elizabeth and Philip's wedding due to the
tough times of their union.
Great Britain was still recovering from World
War II when the couple were wed, so the queen-to-be
actually had to use ration coupons to pay
for her wedding dress materials.
Of course, the government allowed their princess
200 extra coupons for the dress, but still.
She shared in the nation's struggles in her
own little way.
Naturally, the resulting dress was still very
beautiful and luxurious.
It included a 13-foot-long train and was embroidered
with crystals, so she wasn't exactly roughing
it with those ration coupons.
Keeping a distance
Even though they've managed to make love last
all this time, Elizabeth and Philip are still
known to keep one another at bay in certain
ways.
For example, the two have never shared a bedroom
with one another and have always instead had
adjoining rooms.
Given the size of their various castles and
royal manors, it's probably not surprising
that the two choose to keep their own spaces,
but it's been that way since 1949, when they
first moved into the Clarence House.
What's even more unusual is that when Elizabeth
officially became queen in 1953, Philip did
not get an automatic upgrade from his status
as the Duke of Edinburgh.
In fact, it took another four years for Philip
to become an official prince, which means
that the power imbalance between them became
even more pronounced than it already was.
"Of course after 50 years I find it is a great
temptation to give advice."
And, finally, the two have the very strange
habit of very rarely holding hands while in
public together.
Whereas her grandsons have delighted in giving
their loved ones public displays of affection,
the Queen keeps her perfectly gloved hands
all to herself.
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