The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and

Philip Mountbatten Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

took place on Thursday 20 November 1947 at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

in London, United Kingdom. The bride was the elder daughter of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

and

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the British throne. The groom was born a Greek and Danish prince; he abandoned these titles on his adoption of British nationality four months before the announcement of their marriage and was made Duke of Edinburgh,

Earl of Merioneth The Earl of Merioneth was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1947 along with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Baron Greenwich for Philip Mountbatten, later Prince Philip, upon his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, later Queen E ...

and Baron Greenwich on the morning of the wedding.

Engagement

Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten

Elizabeth and Philip were second cousins once removed (by descent from

Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was List of Danish monarchs, King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently List of dukes of Schleswig, Duke of Schleswig, List of dukes of Holstein, Holstein ...

and

Louise of Hesse-Kassel da, Louise Wilhelmine Frederikke Caroline Auguste Julie , succession = Queen consort of Denmark , image = Louise of Hesse-Kassel.jpg , reign = 15 November 1863 – 29 September 1898 , spouse = , issue = , house ...

) and third cousins (by descent from

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

and

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

). Princess Elizabeth met Prince Philip in 1934, at the wedding of Philip's cousin

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (27 August 1968), born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark ( el, Μαρίνα), was a Greek princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark an ...

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

, paternal uncle of Elizabeth, and again in 1937. After another meeting at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in July 1939, Elizabeth—though only 13 years old—fell in love with Philip and they began to exchange letters. An entry in Chips Channon's diary made reference to the future marriage of Elizabeth and Philip as early as 1941, "He is to be our Prince Consort, and that is why he is serving in our Navy." The couple became secretly engaged in 1946, when Philip asked

for his daughter's hand in marriage. The King granted his request providing any formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth's 21st birthday the following April. Their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947. Philip proposed to Elizabeth with a 3-carat round diamond ring consisting of "a centre stone flanked by 10 smaller pave diamonds." The diamonds were taken from a tiara that belonged to Philip's mother,

Princess Alice of Battenberg Princess Alice of Battenberg (Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie; 25 February 1885 – 5 December 1969) was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and the paternal grandmother of King Charles I ...

, and were also used to create a quatrefoil bracelet for Elizabeth. The King gave his formal consent to the marriage in his

British Privy Council The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of e ...

, in accordance with the Royal Marriages Act 1772. The same was done in Canada at a meeting of the King's Canadian Privy Council, with the

chief justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada (french: juge en chef du Canada) is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court sy ...

Thibaudeau Rinfret Thibaudeau Rinfret (June 22, 1879 – July 25, 1962) was a Canadian jurist and the ninth Chief Justice of Canada and Administrator of Canada in 1952. Early life Rinfret was born in Montreal in 1879, the son of François-Olivier Rinfret and A ...

, standing in as deputy to the King's representative, the

governor general of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...

Wedding

Venue

Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten married at 11:30 GMT on 20 November 1947 at

. Elizabeth became the tenth member of the royal family to be married at the Abbey.

Bridal party

Princess Elizabeth was attended by eight

bridesmaid Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Trad ...

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

(her younger sister), Princess Alexandra of Kent (her first cousin), Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott (daughter of the

Duke of Buccleuch Duke of Buccleuch (pronounced ), formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created twice on 20 April 1663, first for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and second suo jure for his wife Anne Scott, 4th Cou ...

), Lady Mary Cambridge (her second cousin), Lady Elizabeth Lambart (daughter of the

Earl of Cavan Earl of Cavan is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1647 for Charles Lambart, 2nd Baron Lambart. He was made Viscount Kilcoursie, in the King's County, at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. Lord Cavan was the son o ...

Lady Pamela Mountbatten Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Hicks (''née'' Mountbatten; born 19 April 1929) is a British aristocrat and relative of the British royal family. She is the younger daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (formerly Prince Lou ...

(Philip's first cousin),

Margaret Elphinstone Margaret Elphinstone (born 1948) is a Scottish author of novels, short stories and poetry. She is known especially for ''The Sea Road'', a re-telling of the Viking exploration of the North Atlantic. Biography Margaret Elphinstone was born in K ...

(her first cousin), and Diana Bowes-Lyon (her first cousin). Her cousins

Prince William of Gloucester Prince William of Gloucester (William Henry Andrew Frederick; 18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972) was a grandson of King George V and paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. At birth he was fourth in line to the throne; he was ninth in lin ...

and

Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent, (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family, who is 51st in the line of succession to the British throne as of September 2022. Queen Elizabeth II and Michael were first ...

served as page boys. The bridesmaids wore wreaths "in their hair of miniature white sheaves, Lilies and London Pride, modelled in white satin and silver lame", while the pages wore Royal Stewart tartan kilts. The

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be s ...

was the Marquess of Milford Haven, the groom's maternal first cousin. The Marquess was a grandson of Prince Louis of Battenberg and

Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (Victoria Alberta Elizabeth Mathilde Marie; 5 April 1863 – 24 September 1950), later Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven, was the eldest daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rh ...

; and a great-great-grandson of

Wedding attire

For her wedding dress, Elizabeth still required ration coupons to buy the material for her gown, designed by

Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell, KCVO (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth in 1940, and ...

. The dress was "a

duchesse Duchesse (Duchesse satin) was a soft, heavy, and glossy satin cloth made in France. Weave Duchesse was produced with a satin weave with fine silk threads using a higher number of threads per square inch in the warp with at least seven floati ...

satin bridal gown with motifs of star lilies and orange blossoms." Elizabeth's wedding shoes were made out of satin and were trimmed with silver and seed pearl. Elizabeth did her own makeup for the wedding. Her wedding bouquet was prepared by the florist M. H. Longman, and consisted of "white

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s with a sprig of myrtle". The myrtle was taken from "the bush grown from the original myrtle in

's wedding bouquet". The bouquet was returned to the abbey the day after the service to be laid on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, following a tradition started by Elizabeth's mother at her wedding in 1923. On the morning of her wedding, as Princess Elizabeth was dressing at Buckingham Palace before leaving for Westminster Abbey, her tiara snapped. The court jeweller, who was standing by in case of emergency, was rushed to his work room by a police escort.

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

reassured her daughter that it would be fixed in time, and it was. Elizabeth's father gave her a pair of pearl necklaces, which had belonged to Queen Anne and Queen Caroline, as a wedding present. Her diamond and pearl cluster earrings were also family heirlooms, passed down from Princess Mary to Queen Mary's mother the

Duchess of Teck Princess Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth of Cambridge (27 November 1833 – 27 October 1897), later Duchess of Teck, was a member of the British royal family. She was one of the first royals to patronise a wide range of charities. Mary Ade ...

. On her wedding day, Elizabeth realised that she had left her pearls at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Alt ...

. Her private secretary,

Jock Colville Sir John Rupert Colville, CB, CVO (28 January 1915 – 19 November 1987) was a British civil servant. He is best known for his diaries, which provide an intimate view of number 10 Downing Street during the wartime Premiership of Winston Church ...

, was asked to go and retrieve them. He was able to get the pearls to the princess in time for her portrait in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace. Philip wore his naval uniform, which was adorned with his medals and the star emblem of a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He also carried a ceremonial sword, with which he later cut the wedding cake.

Wedding service

Huwelijk Prinses Elisabeth, Bestanddeelnr 902-4695 (cropped)

The royal parties were brought in large carriage processions, the first with the Queen and Princess Margaret and later a procession with Queen Mary. Philip left Kensington Palace with his

, his maternal first cousin the Marquess of Milford Haven. Princess Elizabeth arrived at the Abbey with her father, the King, in the Irish State Coach. The ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, and the Dean of Westminster

Alan Campbell Don Alan Campbell Don (3 January 1885 – 3 May 1966) was a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, editor of the Scottish Episcopal Church's 1929 '' Scottish Prayer Book'', chaplain and secretary to Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, from 19 ...

. The

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...

Cyril Garbett Cyril Forster Garbett (6 February 1875 – 31 December 1955) was an Anglican bishop and author. He was successively the Bishop of Southwark, the Bishop of Winchester and the Archbishop of York from 1942 to 1955. Early life Garbett was born in ...

, delivered the sermon. The ceremony was recorded and broadcast by

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

to 200 million people around the world.

Wedding ring

Like her mother's, Princess Elizabeth's wedding band was made of Welsh gold. The ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine, near Dolgellau; this nugget had been given to the then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and used to make her wedding ring and subsequently the wedding rings of both of her daughters. The same nugget was later used to create the wedding rings of

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of Ki ...

and Lady Diana Spencer.

Music

William Neil McKie, the Australian organist and Master of the Choristers at the abbey, was the director of music for the wedding, a role he again filled at Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. McKie also wrote a

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Marga ...

for the occasion, "We wait for thy loving kindness, O God". Psalm 67, "God be merciful unto us and bless us", was sung to a setting by Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow. The anthem was "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" by

Samuel Sebastian Wesley Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 – 19 April 1876) was an English organist and composer. Wesley married Mary Anne Merewether and had 6 children. He is often referred to as S.S. Wesley to avoid confusion with his father Samuel Wesley. Bio ...

; the hymns were " Praise, my soul, the king of heaven", and " The Lord's my Shepherd" to the Scottish tune "Crimond" attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine, which was largely unknown in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

at the time. A descant to "Crimond" had been taught to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret by a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom ...

, Lady Margaret Egerton; the music for the descant could not be found two days before the wedding, so the princesses and Lady Margaret sang it to Sir William McKie, who wrote it down in shorthand. The service started with a specially composed

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perfo ...

Arnold Bax Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...

and finished with Felix Mendelssohn's " Wedding March". The abbey choir was joined by the choirs of the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also appl ...

and

St George's Chapel, Windsor St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the G ...

Titles

Before the wedding, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, converted from

Greek Orthodoxy The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

to Anglicanism and adopted the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

"Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten", taking the surname of his mother's British family. The day before the wedding, King George bestowed the style "

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it ta ...

" and, on the morning of the wedding, 20 November 1947, he was made the Duke of Edinburgh,

, and Baron Greenwich of Greenwich in the County of London. Consequently, being already a Knight of the Garter, between 19 and 20 November 1947 he bore the unusual style His Royal Highness Sir Philip Mountbatten and is so described in the Letters Patent of 20 November 1947. Upon their marriage, Elizabeth took the title of her husband and became Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.

Family celebrations

Huwelijk Prinses Elisabeth, Bestanddeelnr 902-4694 (cropped)

After the ceremony, Elizabeth and Philip then proceeded to Buckingham Palace, where the couple waved to the crowds from the balcony.

Wedding breakfast

Their wedding breakfast was held in the Ball-Supper Room of the Palace. The menu included Filet de Sole Mountbatten, Perdreau en Casserole, and Bombe Glacee Princess Elizabeth. Music was played by the string band of the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

. The official wedding cake was baked by London bakery McVitie & Price. A

fruitcake Fruitcake (or fruit cake or fruit bread) is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are typically serve ...

made of four tiers, it stood nine feet high, and weighed about 500 lbs. It was made with 80 oranges, 660 eggs, and over three gallons of Navy Rum. As World War II had ended a mere two years earlier and certain things were still subject to rationing, some of the ingredients used to make the cake were shipped to Britain from around the world; this led to the cake being given the nickname "The 10,000 Mile Cake". Decorations included the coats of arms of both the bride's and the groom's families, as well as the bride and groom's individual monograms, and sugar-iced figures depicting regimental and naval badges, as well as the couple's favourite activities. The couple cut the cake with the Duke of Edinburgh's Mountbatten sword, which had been a wedding gift from his father-in-law, the King.

Wedding presents

The couple received over 2,500 wedding presents from around the world and around 10,000 telegrams of congratulations. The gifts were put on public display at

and made available for public viewing. The day after the wedding the

wedding bouquet A flower bouquet is a collection of flowers in a creative arrangement. Flower bouquets can be arranged for the decor of homes or public buildings, or may be handheld. Handheld bouquets are classified by several different popular shapes and style ...

was returned to Westminster Abbey and placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior; this tradition was initiated by the bride's mother,

, following her marriage to the bride's father, then the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs. ...

. The bouquet was composed of white

cattleya ''Cattleya'' () is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. Description Epiphytic or terrestrial orchids with cylindrical rhizome from which the fleshy noodle-like roots grow. Ps ...

odontoglossum ''Odontoglossum'', first named in 1816 by Karl Sigismund Kunth, is a genus of about 100 orchids. The scientific name is derived from the Greek words ''odon'' (tooth) and ''glossa'' (tongue), referring to the two tooth-like calluses on the bas ...

, and

cypripedium ''Cypripedium'' is a genus of 58 species and nothospecies of hardy orchids; it is one of five genera that together compose the subfamily of lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae). They are widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere, inc ...

orchids and a sprig of myrtle from the Osborne Myrtle Bush, which had been planted at

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed ...

in 1846. The flowers in the bouquet were supplied by the Worshipful Company of Gardeners and were arranged by florist MH Longman.

Guests

Full marriage certificate of Philip Mountbatten and Elizabeth Windsor

Bride's family

The King In the British English-speaking world, The King refers to: * Charles III (born 1948), King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since 2022 As a nickname * Michael Jackson (1958–2009), American singer and pop icon, nicknamed "T ...

and

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, ''the bride's parents'' ** The Princess Margaret, ''the bride's sister'' * Queen Mary, ''the bride's paternal grandmother'' ** The Duke and

Duchess of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

, ''the bride's paternal uncle and aunt'' ***

, ''the bride's first cousin'' *** Prince Richard of Gloucester, ''the bride's first cousin'' ** The Duchess of Kent, ''the bride's paternal aunt by marriage (and the groom's first cousin)'' *** The Duke of Kent, ''the bride's first cousin'' *** Princess Alexandra of Kent, ''the bride's first cousin'' ***

, ''the bride's first cousin'' ** The Princess Royal's family: *** The Earl of Harewood, ''the bride's first cousin'' *** The Hon. Gerald Lascelles, ''the bride's first cousin'' * The Earl of Southesk, ''widower of the bride's

first cousin once removed Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

'' ** Lord Carnegie, ''the bride's second cousin'' * Princess Helena Victoria, ''the bride's and the groom's first cousin twice removed'' * Princess Marie Louise, ''the bride's and the groom's first cousin twice removed'' * Lady Patricia and The Hon. Sir Alexander Ramsay, ''the bride's and the groom's first cousin twice removed and her husband'' ** Alexander Ramsay of Mar, ''the bride's and the groom's second cousin once removed'' * The Earl of Athlone and

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline; 25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981) was a member of the British royal family. She is the longest-lived British princess of royal blood, and was the last surviving grand ...

, ''the bride's paternal granduncle and grandaunt (also first cousin twice removed to the bride and groom)'' ** Lady May and

Henry Abel Smith Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith, (8 March 1900 – 24 January 1993) was a British Army officer who served as Governor of Queensland, Australia. He married Lady May Cambridge, a niece of Queen Mary, consort of King George V. Early life and fam ...

, ''the bride's first cousin once removed and her husband'' *** Miss Anne Abel Smith, ''the bride's second cousin'' *** Miss Elizabeth Abel Smith, ''the bride's second cousin'' * The Marquess and Marchioness of Cambridge, ''the bride's first cousin once removed and his wife'' ** Lady Mary Cambridge, ''the bride's second cousin'' * The Duchess and

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of ...

, ''the bride's first cousin once removed and her husband'' * Lady Helena Gibbs, ''the bride's first cousin once removed'' * Lady and Lord Elphinstone, ''the bride's maternal aunt and uncle'' ** The Master of Elphinstone, ''the bride's first cousin'' ** The Hon. Mrs. Jean Wills and Mr. John Wills, ''the bride's first cousin and her husband'' ** The Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Elphinstone, ''the bride's first cousin and his wife'' ** The Hon. Miss

, ''the bride's first cousin'' * The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, ''the bride's maternal uncle'' * The Hon. Mrs. John Bowes-Lyon, ''the bride's maternal aunt by marriage'' ** Viscountess Anson, ''the bride's first cousin'' ** Diana Bowes-Lyon, ''the bride's first cousin'' * The Countess and Earl Granville, ''the bride's maternal aunt and uncle'' ** Lady Mary Leveson-Gower, ''the bride's first cousin'' ** Lord Leveson, ''the bride's first cousin'' * The Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Bowes-Lyon, ''the bride's maternal uncle and aunt'' * The Hon. Mr. and Mrs.

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Bowes-Lyon, ''the bride's maternal uncle and aunt''

Groom's family

* Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, ''the groom's mother'' * The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, ''the groom's maternal grandmother'' ** The Crown Princess and

Crown Prince of Sweden This page is a list of heirs to the Swedish throne. The list includes all individuals who were considered to inherit the throne of the Kingdom of Sweden, either as heir apparent or as heir presumptive, since the accession of the House of Holstei ...

, ''the groom's maternal aunt and uncle'' (representing the King of Sweden) ** The Marchioness of Milford Haven, ''the groom's maternal aunt by marriage'' *** Lady Tatiana Mountbatten, ''the groom's first cousin'' *** The Marquess of Milford Haven, ''the groom's first cousin'' ** The Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma, ''the groom's maternal uncle and aunt'' *** Lady and Lord Brabourne, ''the groom's first cousin and her husband'' ***

, ''the groom's first cousin'' *

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

and

King of Yugoslavia This article lists the heads of state of Yugoslavia from the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kingdom of Yugoslavia) in 1918 until the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ...

, ''the groom's first cousin, once removed, and her husband, the bride and groom's third cousin'' * The Queen Mother of the Romanians, ''the groom's first cousin'' ** The King of the Romanians, ''the groom's first cousin, once removed'' * The Queen of the Hellenes, ''wife of the groom's first cousin, also second cousin of the groom'' (representing the

King of the Hellenes The Kingdom of Greece was ruled by the House of Wittelsbach between 1832 and 1862 and by the House of Glücksburg from 1863 to 1924, temporarily abolished during the Second Hellenic Republic, and from 1935 to 1973, when it was once more abolish ...

) * The Duchess of Aosta, ''the groom's first cousin'' * Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark and Major Richard Brandram, ''the groom's first cousin and her husband'' *

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

and Princess George of Greece and Denmark, ''the groom's paternal uncle and aunt'' ** Princess Dominic Radziwiłł, ''the groom's first cousin'' *

and Queen of Denmark, ''the groom's second cousin and his wife'' * The King of Norway, ''the groom's first cousin, once removed and the bride's paternal granduncle'' * Princess Axel of Denmark, ''wife of the groom's

first cousin, once removed Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of Kinship, familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Com ...

, also second cousin of the groom'' ** Prince George Valdemar of Denmark, ''the groom's second cousin'' ** Prince Flemming Valdemar of Denmark, ''the groom's second cousin'' *

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

and

Prince René of Bourbon-Parma Prince René of Bourbon-Parma (17 October 1894 – 30 July 1962) was the seventh surviving son of Robert I, Duke of Parma, and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal. In 1921, he married Princess Margaret of Denmark. They had four ch ...

, ''the groom's first cousin, once removed and her husband'' **

Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma Princess Anne Antoinette Françoise Charlotte Zita Marguerite of Bourbon-Parma (18 September 1923 – 1 August 2016) was the wife of King Michael I of Romania. Michael abdicated the throne in 1947, and he and Anne married the next year. Nonethel ...

, ''the groom's second cousin'' **

Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (Michel Marie Xavier Waldemar Georg Robert Karl Eymar; 4 March 1926 – 7 July 2018) was a French businessman, soldier and racing car driver, who was a member of deposed sovereign ducal House of Bourbon-Parma. He was ...

, ''the groom's second cousin'' * The Marquess and Marchioness of Carisbrooke, ''the groom's first cousin once removed and the bride's first cousin twice removed, and his wife'' * Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, ''the groom's first cousin, once removed and the bride's first cousin twice removed'' **

The Count Count (or Countess) is a title of nobility. Count or The Count may also refer to: People ''Used as a nickname, not denoting nobility'' Music * The Count, a performance name for English deejay Hervé * Count Basie (1904–1984), American jazz mus ...

and Countess of Barcelona, ''the groom's second cousin and his wife'' * The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, ''the groom's third cousin, once removed'' (representing the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg) *

Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg (Elisabeth Hilda Zita Marie Anna Antonia Friederike Wilhelmine Luise; 22 December 1922 – 22 November 2011) was a Luxembourgian princess. She was a daughter of Grand Duchess Charlotte and her husband, ...

, ''the groom's third cousin, once removed''

Others

Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia ( sr-cyr, Томислав Карађорђевић, Tomislav Karađorđević; 19 January 1928 – 12 July 2000) was a member of the House of Karađorđević, the second son of King Alexander I and Queen Maria of Y ...

, ''the bride and groom's third cousin'' *

Prince Andrew of Yugoslavia Prince Andrew of Yugoslavia ( sr-cyr, Андреј Карађорђевић; 28 June 1929 – 7 May 1990) was the youngest child of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Maria of Yugoslavia. Personal life In 1934, when he was only five, Prince An ...

, ''the bride and groom's third cousin'' * The Prince Regent of Belgium (representing the

King of the Belgians Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...

) *

Princess Juliana Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (representing the

Queen of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch. Roughly a third of ...

) * The King of Iraq The

Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a ...

, the former king, was not invited, and his sister, Mary, Princess Royal, did not attend as she said she was ill (her husband,

Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood Henry George Charles Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood (9 September 1882 – 24 May 1947) was a British soldier and peer. He was the husband of Mary, Princess Royal, and thus a son-in-law of George V and Queen Mary and a brother-in-law to Edward ...

, had died six months before). Ronald Storrs claimed that the Princess Royal did not attend in protest over her brother's exclusion. So soon after the end of World War II, it was not acceptable for the Duke of Edinburgh's German relations, including Philip's three surviving sisters, to be invited to the wedding.Hoey, p. 59; Petropoulos, p. 363

Honeymoon

The couple boarded a train to

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

London Waterloo railway station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

, and spent their wedding night at the home of the Duke of Edinburgh's uncle, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in

Broadlands Broadlands is an English country house, located in the civil parish of Romsey Extra, near the town of Romsey in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The formal gardens and historic landscape of Broadlands are Grade II* listed on the ...

. From there the couple travelled to Birkhall on the

Balmoral Estate Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

, where they spent the remainder of their honeymoon. For her going-away outfit, Elizabeth wore "a dress and matching coat in mist-blue with mushroom-coloured accessories" that was designed by Hartnell.

Notes

Footnotes

References

* Bond, Jennie (2006). ''Elizabeth: Eighty Glorious Years''. London: Carlton Publishing Group. * Bradford, Sarah (1989). ''King George VI''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. * Brandreth, Gyles (2004). ''Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage''. London: Century. * * Heald, Tim (2007). ''Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. * Hoey, Brian (2002). ''Her Majesty: Fifty Regal Years''. London: HarperCollins. * Lacey, Robert (2002). ''Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II''. London: Little, Brown. *

Petropoulos, Jonathan Jonathan Petropoulos (born January 10, 1961) is an American historian who writes about National Socialism and, in particular, the fate of art looted during World War II. He is John V. Croul Professor of European History at Claremont McKenna Colleg ...

(2006). ''Royals and the Reich: the princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany''. New York: Oxford University Press. * Pimlott, Ben (2001). ''The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy''. London: HarperCollins.

External links

Order of Service for the wedding

Sermon preached at the wedding
{{Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten 1947 in London Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh November 1947 events in the United Kingdom Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten 1940s in the City of Westminster