That same year, their romance blossomed, so much so that they secretly got engaged. The duo would tie the knot on Nov. 20, 1947, in front of 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey.
Although Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had their fair share of ups and downs throughout their marriage, their connection was one-of-a-kind. To mark their 50th anniversary in 1997, the queen praised her husband with a heartwarming tribute.
“He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” she shared, per Vogue. “I, and his whole family and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know.”
Take a look at the couple’s decades-long love story below.