The Queen and Prince Philip to celebrate 70th wedding anniversary

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In their record-breaking lifetime of service, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will no doubt have lost count of the toasts raised to their achievements, health and happiness.

Surely none, though, will mean more than seeing their children, grandchildren and closest friends raise a glass to them on Monday evening, in celebration of 70 years of the most successful marriage in British Royal history.

The Queen and Duke will mark their platinum wedding anniversary on November 20, in a milestone no other monarch has achieved and will likely never surpass...

Queen to celebrate another 70th anniversary milestone as entire family gathers in Windsor to mark the occasion



The Queen and Duke will mark their platinum wedding anniversary on November 20, in a milestone no other monarch has achieved and will likely never surpass. Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images

Hannah Furness, Arts Correspondent
17 November 2017
The Telegraph

In their record-breaking lifetime of service, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will no doubt have lost count of the toasts raised to their achievements, health and happiness.

Surely none, though, will mean more than seeing their children, grandchildren and closest friends raise a glass to them on Monday evening, in celebration of 70 years of the most successful marriage in British Royal history.

The Queen and Duke will mark their platinum wedding anniversary on November 20, in a milestone no other monarch has achieved and will likely never surpass.

The date will see them join a select group of devoted spouses to reach the landmark anniversary, with the Queen helping just 1,260 other couples celebrate a 70th wedding anniversary with a personal card from Buckingham Palace so far this year.

It is another landmark for Her Majesty, who has already become the longest-reigning monarch in UK history at 65 years, and the longest-lived at 91.

The Duke, who retired from official duties in the autumn but has since made regular appearances in public, became the longest-serving consort in 2009.

They are already comfortably the longest-wed Royal couple, surpassing George III and Queen Charlotte by 13 years. The Queen, who once said "a long life can pass many milestones. My own is no exception", is understood to have been keen to mark the wedding anniversary privately, eschewing lavish public celebrations and speeches.


Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, pose for a portrait at home in Buckingham Palace in December 1958. Credit: Michael Ochs Archives

Instead, she and the Duke will welcome their family and friends to Windsor Castle on Monday evening for a dinner party, with messages of congratulation passed in person rather than in front of the crowds.

The State Apartments, usually open to the public, have been closed for the day, allowing staff to polish the silverware and lay the tables for suitable celebration, with senior members of the Royal Family keeping their diaries free to attend.

The guestlist will include the Prince of Wales, who will make the journey to Windsor soon after landing from a trip to Caribbean islands left devastated by hurricane on Monday morning, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.


The Royal Wedding of HRH Princess Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh. Credit: Television Stills


Each of the Queen and Duke’s other children and their spouses are expected to attend, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren old enough to stay up for the evening.

The evening will mark 20 years since the Queen's most famous public tribute to her husband, in a speech for their 50th anniversary in which she called him "quite simply...my strength and stay all these years".

From 1pm on Monday, the bells of Westminster Abbey will ring to mark the anniversary.

Those ardent admirers of the monarchy who wish to raise a glass to the Platinum anniversary at home have been catered for by Buckingham Palace, which has released an official commemorative range of items including crystal goblets, sherry glasses, tankards, plates and a tea towel to wash up afterwards.

Queen to celebrate another 70th anniversary milestone as entire family gathers in Windsor to mark the occasion
 
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Blackleaf

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New portrait marks Queen and Prince Philip's 70th anniversary

18 November 2017
BBC News



A new portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip has been released to mark their 70th wedding anniversary.

The royal couple will mark Monday's platinum anniversary with a private dinner with family and friends at Windsor Castle.

The bells of Westminster Abbey, where they married in 1947, will toll to mark the occasion.

Royal Mail has issued a set of six commemorative stamps, featuring the couple's engagement and wedding.


Commemorative stamps from the Royal Mail feature the royal couple's engagement and wedding photos

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are the first royal couple to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.

When they married, the then Princess Elizabeth was 21-years-old while her groom, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, was 26.





The new image, by celebrity photographer Matt Holyoak, shows the pair flanked by Thomas Gainsborough's paintings of George III and Queen Charlotte from 1781.

In the photograph, the Queen is wearing a cream day dress designed by Angela Kelly, her personal assistant and dressmaker since 2002.

She also wears a "Scarab" brooch in yellow gold, carved ruby and diamond, designed by Andrew Grima and given to the Queen as a gift in 1966.

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New portrait marks Queen and Prince Philip's 70th anniversary - BBC News