Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip met when the young princess was 13 – and their love blossomed into a 73-year marriage that lasted until his death.
On the 77th anniversary of what could have been their wedding, it serves as a reminder of their enduring bond. When Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99, the Queen said goodbye to the love of her life.
“She fell in love and never looked at anyone else,” biographer Sally Bedell Smith previously told PEOPLE.
The future queen first met Prince Philip in 1934, at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Prince George, Duke of Kent. Their paths crossed again when she joined her parents and sister, Princess Margaret, on a visit to the Naval College at Dartmouth in 1939. While Elizabeth was reserved and shy, she was taken by Philip’s thirst for adventure.
The two exchanged countless letters while Prince Philip was serving in the Royal Navy during World War II.
“Filip enjoys driving and does it fast!” she wrote in a letter to author Betty Shew that was auctioned in 2016. “He has his little MG that he’s very proud of. He took me to London in it once, which was a lot of fun.”
The real story behind the viral photo of Queen Elizabeth giggling next to Prince Philip in uniform
The couple married after a year-long courtship on November 20, 1947, an occasion that called for national celebration after the devastating war.
“There was grayness and austerity and then this gold bus and the crowds made it exciting,” said Lady Pamela, daughter of Philip’s uncle Lord Mountbatten and Elizabeth’s long-time lady-in-waiting who served as maid of honor. PEOPLE.
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their honeymoon in 1947. Central Press/Getty
To mark their 50th wedding anniversary, Queen Elizabeth paid a rare public tribute to the man who captured her heart all those years ago.
“He’s someone who doesn’t take compliments easily, but he’s just been my strength and has been all these years,” she said, “and I… owe him more than he could ever ask for.”
A royal love story — see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip through the years
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
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After the death of Prince Philip, the Queen continued to carry out her royal duties.
Amid reports that the monarch will be accompanied to future engagements by family members, a former senior palace aide told PEOPLE: “Her family will step up and be there for her, but she will continue. She understands that she has work to do, and [Philip] wanted it to break. She did it when he retired from public life.”
A close royal insider added: “She will never abdicate for duty and honour, and public service is as deep within her as it was for him.”
Queen Elizabeth died on 8 September 2022 and was buried next to her husband in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, part of St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle.
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Source: HIS Education