At the time of her birth, Princess Elizabeth was not expected to ascend the throne. Her Grandfather was on the throne, and her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales, was expected to marry, become King, and produce an heir. So, in the beginning, the young Princess Elizabeth had a fairly normal up-bringing for an aristocratic child of her time. She was born on 21 April 1926, to the Duke and Duchess of York and brought up in the family's home at 145 Piccadilly. The Duke and Duchess were determined that Elizabeth and her sister Margaret would have a stable upbringing and be brought up to appreciate the privileges they had and not be spoilt. Unfortunately, during her first year, her mother and father had to make an official visit to Australia, leaving Elizabeth in the capable hands of her grandparents - the King and Queen - and her nanny, Clara Knight.
As the young princess learned to speak, she called herself 'Lillibet'. Princess Elizabeth and her sister were educated by private tutors, as the new King Edward VIII decided that he did not want the young princesses to be educated with common people. This dashed the hopes of her parents, who wanted her to attend school. However, both Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were members of the Girl Guide Association.
However, in 1936, Princess Elizabeth's life changed drastically, when the news of King Edward Vlll's relationship with Wallis Simpson emerged and his subsequent abdication in December of that year. Her father became Heir to the Throne and this meant the Princess was now in line to become Queen. Not only did she take instruction from Palace officials about matters relating to the state, but she also attended classes at Eton College to study constitutional history.
As war was announced, Princess Elizabeth started to take on more royal duties. She became Patron of numerous charities and made royal visits with her parents. When her father was not available, she also undertook some of his official engagements as Head of State. She also insisted in doing her part in the war and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Services as a Second Subaltern, eventually becoming a qualified driver. After the war, Princess Elizabeth returned to her official duties. In 1947, she travelled to South Africa on her first official overseas visit. Although she had known Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten since she was a teenager, the relationship had not been in the spotlight. However, this dashing young man was to become her bedrock.
On 10 June 1921, at the Villa Mon Repos in Corfu, Prince Philip was born into the Danish and Greek royal families. It seems really strange that a Royal Family member of two countries which are geographically so distant can share the same title. This is because many members of the deposed Greek royal family are descendents of George I of Greece, who was a Danish Prince. Until 1953, Denmark's hereditary line of succession was through this line, so members of the Greek Royal Family hold the title Prince or Princess of Denmark. It's all very complicated!
Above: Members of the immediate family and wedding party pose with Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten for the official wedding photographs.
Right: Elizabeth and Philip after their wedding.
Elizabeth and Philip's register entry for their wedding.
Prince Philip was the youngest child of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. He has four older sisters - Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie and Sophie. His maternal grandfather, Louis of Battenberg, had moved to Britain and became a naturalized British Citizen. After a distinguished naval career, he renounced his German titles, and took the surname Mountbatten.
Philip's family were exiled from Greece when he was young when the Greco-Turkish War forced King Constantine I of Greece to abdicate. His family fled the country on HMS Calypso. Settling in France, he was first educated at the American School, then sent to Cheam School, Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, and then finished school at Gordonstoun in Scotland.
At the start of the Second World War, Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy and saw war service in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean sea. It was even rumoured that during his service he stoked the boilers for RMS Empress of Russia - a troopship! During his naval career he was promoted to First Lieutenant.
However, back to 1939, while at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Prince Philip was asked to accompany Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose around the college during a visit by their parents.
After this, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip started writing to each other as friends as Elizabeth was still too young to think about a relationship, but a romance eventually blossomed. Although Philip asked the King for Elizabeth's hand in marriage in 1946, their engagement was delayed due to the royal protocol that Philip had to renounce his allegiance to the Greek crown and his Greek Orthodox religion and become a naturalised British citizen. Philip then took the name Mountbatten. The engagement was announced in July 1947.
Above: The wedding ceremony of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten.
Right: Princess Elizabeth's wedding bouquet was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This has been a tradition with royal brides since just after World War One.
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married on 20 November 1947. This was a major event as Britain had been at war and was slowly recovering. This event would lift the nation's spirits and symbolise hope for the future. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey, where more than 2,000 guests attended. There were eight bridesmaids and two page-boys. The wedding was officiated by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Unfortunately, some of the Duke of Edinburgh's relatives were unable to attend - including his sisters - as they had some connections with Germany.
As Britain had just emerged from the Second World War, rationing was still in force. Elizabeth had to save up ration cards for the material for her dress and the nation helped out by sending clothing coupons. The dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, and was made of ivory duchess satin. It was decorated with 10,000 white pearls, and had flower symbols from Commonwealth lands, such as Scottish thistles and Canadian maple leaves. Her bridal bouquet had a sprig of myrtle from a bush planted from Queen Victoria's bouquet. The day after the wedding, the bouquet was laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Returning to Buckingham Palace, the Queen and Prince Philip appeared on the balcony to the delight of the crowds below. A Wedding Breakfast was held for them in the Ball Supper Room, and because there was still rationing in Britain, their wedding cake was made from ingredients that were sent over by the Australian Girl Guides.
After the wedding, Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth left for honeymoon at Broadlands, and then onto Birkhill at Balmoral. On their return, Prince Philip returned to the navy and the young couple were stationed in London and Malta.
World History
