Rare Images From Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip's Wedding

Crowds were out in force for the happy event. Whilst a reported 2,000 guests were lucky enough to attend the ceremony itself, there were many well-wishers who wanted to see the then-princess Elizabeth marry the duke. It's tough to say exactly how many went out to catch a glimpse, but an astonishing 200 million listened to the BBC Radio broadcast.

You can see just how packed-out London was from this shot of a line of policemen struggling to contain the crowd. That said, the atmosphere seems to be jolly rather than tense, and there's something comedic about watching the poor British bobby at the front, who maybe isn’t best pleased that a snapper is around to preserve his discomfort for the ages.

Here are the proud parents, who still had half a decade to go on the throne. George sadly passed away from illness, while Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother lived for much longer, leaving this world in 2002 at the age of 101. She'd seen many things during her century-plus of royal life.

In this photograph, it’s six years before Elizabeth is crowned Queen. Seen here at his bachelor party, Philip Mountbatten looks forward to marrying his sweetheart, plain old Princess Elizabeth. His naval friends were all invited — not to mention his uncle, Lord Mountbatten. This image was taken at the Dorchester Hotel in central London.

They met at a naval college in 1939, when he was 18 and she was just a child. Eight years later they were in love and ready to get hitched. Though marrying into royalty is far from a spur-of-the-moment thing, with many rules and regulations to observe, it’s safe to say their love was set in stone before tying the knot.

As the soon-to-be-happy-couple slept in their comfy beds, some of their subjects took a different approach. These girls aren’t out in the cold waiting for concert tickets. They’re actually hoping to see Elizabeth and Philip as they ride past, either to or from the ceremony. Bear in mind this is November 20 in England, so they must have been freezing!

A wedding usually means plenty of family photos. And at Buckingham Palace these take on a decidedly formal air, as this clan portrait shows. Elizabeth looks pleased as punch and her future husband relaxed enough. As for the Queen Mother and George, well, they appear to be less casual, as you might expect. That’s Princess Margaret at the end.

A royal wedding is a momentous occasion, so everything needs to be looking its best. The coach in which Elizabeth and Philip will sit is getting a round buffing by staff. The bride and her father also traveled to Westminster Abbey in the Irish State Coach: of course, the royal family have a lot of such vehicles, not to mention horses to pull them.

These really were different times, as you can see from our next image. We can’t imagine a member of the public openly breaching the royal police cordon to get a snap of the action in the 21st century! Back then, it seems, coppers could be a little more forgiving. At least a couple of the policemen here look amused by her unconventional antics.

We mentioned that the ceremony had a worldwide radio audience. Well, here are a handful of listeners over in the USA. We’re assuming the man on the left didn’t hold that container on his back the whole way through! The iconic Harry S Truman was President at the time. He served until 1953: the year after Elizabeth went from princess to Queen.

Everything needed to run like clockwork, with all details going into the ceremony meticulously planned. Part of this meant putting up diversion signs, much like today. Still, you can’t help but marvel at the old-school nature of these signs being handled by AA (Automobile Association) patrolmen. The last thing you want is a bunch of unwanted vehicles spooking the horses. 

On its way to and from the abbey, the wedding procession passed along Whitehall. This stretch is known for its political associations, and plays host to the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office, among other governmental hubs. The area’s name has a royal connection, coming from the old Palace of Whitehall, a building first raised as York Place in about 1240 and destroyed by fire in 1698. Various monarchs lived there, beginning with Henry VIII.

This broad expanse of road is familiar to Londoners, tourists and general royal watchers alike. In case you didn’t know, it’s called The Mall, and it runs between Buckingham Palace to the west and Trafalgar Square to the east. The well-trodden path was used by the procession on the approach to Westminster Abbey. As with any national occasion, the Mall’s sides are thronged with well-wishers.

When Elizabeth pulled up in her carriage, it was a moment for which Philip and indeed the world had been waiting. The image made the cover of media publications and her smile pretty much says it all. Decades of wedded bliss were about to begin, albeit in the glare of the media. Let's draw a veil over that particular subject, so to speak.

How intimidating must it have been for a young woman to enter a grand venue like Westminster Abbey with everyone watching? Who knows, maybe Elizabeth feared she might trip over her dress, or that her train might get snagged on a splintered pew? Thankfully things went off without a hitch. Well, most things — as we’ll discover.

Here in their furry finery are the Duchesses of Kent and Gloucester. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester is at the front with Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, behind. As Elizabeth’s aunts, they may well have had something to say about the event. Marina passed away in 1968 aged 61; Alice died at the age of 102 in 2004.

Here we see the future Queen Mother and Elizabeth’s sister, Margaret, looking to wish her a happy day and watch her marriage to Philip. Margaret almost had her own down-the-aisle moment as a young woman. She wanted to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend, though his controversial status as a divorced person meant the union was ultimately abandoned.

While Conservative Sir Winston Churchill was the celebrated wartime Prime Minister, he didn’t stay in the job for long once the conflict ended. The Labour Party’s Clement Attlee was elected in his place, and had been in post for a couple of years when he arrived at Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. Churchill was also in attendance and returned as PM in 1951.

Deep breaths everyone, it's time for Elizabeth to navigate that trickiest of attachments, the bridal train. This image has an "as it happens" feel about it, with the bridesmaids looking almost like angels as they float around with the garment. Elizabeth may have been a princess, but really she was a blushing bride just like any other.

At 166 feet long, the aisle at Westminster Abbey is enough to make anyone think that time was going slowly. The epic nature of the event dictated that the wedding should take place in an enormous venue. Still, we're sure people in the procession were holding their breath as Elizabeth and Philip made their way to the front.

There are no shortage of royal wedding images from inside the abbey. That said, the operation must have been tightly controlled, like any public event concerning the royal family. We mentioned not everything ran smoothly, and photography was one such unfortunate area. We'll tease you a bit more by saying a camera and some flowers led to a bit of a problem for the couple.

Like most brides, Elizabeth was walked up the aisle by her father. George reigned from 1936 to 1952 when his death thrust his daughter still further into the spotlight as Britain's monarch. And while Elizabeth’s prince awaited her at the abbey, Philip actually didn’t receive this official title until a decade later. On the day, he was simply the Duke of Edinburgh. 

Helping to preside over the ceremony was the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher. He served in the role from 1945 to 1961. During his tenure, he was said to have advised Elizabeth’s sister Margaret when she was deciding whether to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend; the story became a national talking-point. Fisher passed away in 1972 at the age of 85.

The duke and the princess leave the abbey to begin their new life together. It looks like a happy day for both of them, though did either Elizabeth or Philip consider what might happen over the coming decades as the horses set off to a soundtrack of cheering crowds? We might leave it to The Crown to engage in such speculation!

Elizabeth would have a love of horses throughout her life, which surely was reflected in her interactions with the Royal Horse Guards. The men naturally wanted to show their support for Elizabeth and Philip, so this photo was taken with them holding up their own special tribute. By the way, we can’t say for sure if that’s tea in those cups.

Here begins the road to over seven decades as man and wife. The royal family would go on to have its ups and downs, but Elizabeth and Philip's marriage was generally seen as rock-solid. Both remained wedded to their national duty, active and engaged in exciting pursuits and, above all, totally devoted to one another as the decades passed.

Martin Longman and his team had been charged with arranging a key feature of the ceremony — the princess’ bouquet. A simple enough request, yet Longman’s work created a minor drama, when the orchids reportedly went walkabout after the “I do”s! The bouquet seen in post-wedding photos is a replacement. The Palace now ensures a flowery understudy is ready and waiting for these occasions.

Standing about 9 feet tall, and featuring no fewer than four tiers, the wedding cake was practically a guest at the ceremony! It was crafted by McVitie and Price of Scotland, appropriately enough: the land and its people always held a special place in Elizabeth’s heart. A layer of the cake was sent to Australia.

Those outside Buckingham Palace were treated to the sight of a royal entrance, with the couple returning in splendor. This home to the upper echelons of British society has stood in the City of Westminster since 1703. It was originally built as the Duke of Buckingham’s townhouse before becoming palatial over a hundred years later.

This epic shot gives you an idea of just how many attended the royal wedding of Elizabeth and Philip. We're accustomed to seeing a high turnout for recent regal events, but we think you'll agree this was something else. It's even more remarkable given the tough economic climate of the time.

No royal event would be complete nowadays without a wave from the balcony. It's clear the happy couple were happy to greet the public, who had offered them so much love and support on their big day. It must have been nippy up there, as the Brits say, but at least their hearts were probably warmed.

Here's something you don't see every day, but no doubt saw a lot of back in the 1950s. In the time before giant screens meant those at a distance didn't feel left out, binoculars were a handy method of getting a close-up look at faraway spectacles. Of course people still use them today, but they don't generally travel around with a pair!

While Elizabeth and Philip gave the crowds a friendly wave, it wasn't their only balcony-based duty. As is traditional, the whole family must appear to stand and acknowledge the people without whom they would have no purpose. Oh to be a fly on the balcony, to hear what they might be saying about the sea of well-wishers below!

The balcony at Buckingham Palace is big, but not big enough for the full extended party of royal relatives. The cavernous interior of the palace is much better-suited to get the whole gang together to say “cheese.” This is a rare look at an unguarded royal family. Many, inlcuding the bride, seem unaware a picture has been taken!

Typically when a couple get married, a bunch of tin cans are attached to the back of their vehicle. We don't think that happened here, though if it did the cans must have contained some pretty swanky foodstuffs. No, Elizabeth and Philip went bigger and better with this royal crest, which was placed on the front of their train.

Elizabeth and Philip's honeymoon was spent in the glamorous location of... Scotland. No sun-kissed islands or Vegas-style blowouts for them. Broadlands, the Hampshire home to Lord Mountbatten, was where the wedding night was spent. Then a few days later it was up to the Balmoral estate, the same location where Elizabeth would ultimately pass away in 2022. That was a long way off back then, of course!

One thing which can be said about Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding is that it brought all levels of society together in celebration. True, only the general public were the ones sleeping out on the street. Yet this photo shows royalty and their subjects enjoying the occasion as a group. In this sense, the day was surpisingly intimate.

After the ceremony, Elizabeth and Philip, pictured here at Broadlands, can finally relax and enjoy each other's company in private. Or can they? You see, the missing bouquet meant their wedding photos had to be restaged... on their honeymoon! We're sure some aspects of royal life must be surreal but this must have taken the cake, so to speak.

Balmoral is a scenic and wild location, and generally less populous. But before the newly married pair made it up there on their honeymoon, many more members of the public wanted their own look at the happy couple, as this picture taken at Hampshire's Romsey Abbey a few days after the wedding shows. Perhaps Elizabeth's love for Scotland eventually took the edge off being stared at by large crowds of people.

It must have been a pleasant experience for Elizabeth and Philip to review those momentous photos of the previous days. They'd certainly experienced a surprising amount of stress and intrigue along the way. Hopefully at this point they could take stock and appreciate the life-changing event that would link their names forever.