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How World War II Affected Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's Wedding

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Wedding Facts

How World War II Affected Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's Wedding

June 28, 2017 by Quinn Keaney

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Prince Philip quit smoking cold turkey the morning of the wedding. Due to the queen's concerns about how her father died (from lung cancer), Philip gave up his smoking habit.
He also gave up his titles. In order to marry Elizabeth, Philip was required to renounce his Greek and Danish titles and convert from Greek Orthodox to Anglican. In return, he became Duke of Edinburgh.
The guest list was simply massive. The couple certainly didn't bother with trimming their guest list. They invited over 2,000 people to their wedding at Westminster Abbey, including the King and Queen of Denmark, the Shah of Iran, the Kings of Norway, and the Queen of Yugoslavia.
It was the first big royal event after WWII. Though many Londoners swarmed around the palace to catch a glimpse of the queen on her wedding day, her father had been warned in David Kynaston's Austerity Britain that a flashy event would be a slap in the face to England's suffering citizens. "Any banqueting and display at your daughter’s wedding will be an insult to the British people at the present time . . . and we would consider that you would be well advised to order a very quiet wedding in keeping with the times,” he wrote.
The royal kneelers were made of a very surprising material. In keeping with wartime austerity, the kneelers Elizabeth and Philip used during the ceremony were actually orange boxes.
The queen had eight bridesmaids. To ensure Elizabeth's day ran smoothly, she had the help of Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Lady Mary Cambridge, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, Pamela Mountbatten, Margaret Elphinstone, and Diana Bowes-Lyon. She also had two adorable 5-year-old pageboys: Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent.
The bridesmaids wore very special wreaths in their hair. Elizabeth wasn't the only one wearing something special on the big day. Each of her bridesmaids was outfitted with a wreath made by Jac Ltd of London, who used miniature white sheaves and lilies, woven with white satin and silver. The little pages wore tartan kilts.

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