We All Know About Royal Weddings — Here's What You Don't Know About Royal Anniversaries
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British royal weddings are anything but low-key, but royal wedding anniversaries are surprisingly chill (unless, of course, it's a major anniversary milestone and you're the Queen of England). From shared dates to unexpected gifts, royal anniversaries have some strange occurrences, despite how little they're talked about (and how few royals seem to stay married). In honor of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's impending 71st wedding anniversary on Nov. 20, here are 10 wild tidbits about royal wedding anniversaries we bet you haven't heard before.
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3 Royal Couples Share a Wedding Date
The queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, were married on the same date (June 19) as two other royal pairings: Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel and Victoria's parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.
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Kate Gifted William With Paper For Their 1-Year Anniversary
For their first wedding anniversary, Kate Middleton cooked Prince William fish en papillote — fish wrapped in parchment paper — in honor of the traditional first anniversary paper gift.
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Kate and William's 4th Anniversary Was Days Before Charlotte's Birth
Kate and William's fourth wedding anniversary was a quiet affair, given that Kate was already six days overdue with Charlotte, who wouldn't arrive for three more days.
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Philip and the Queen's 1st Anniversary Was Days After Charles's Birth
The queen gave birth to Prince Charles on Nov. 14, just six days before her and Philip's first wedding anniversary, while Philip was elsewhere in the residence playing squash with his secretary. Bonus fact: Nov. 14 was also the date of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips's wedding in 1973, though the two divorced in 1992.
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Harry and Meghan's Wedding Date Is Actually Pretty Unlucky
May 19, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding date, happens to be the same day that King Henry VIII had his wife Anne Boleyn executed in 1536.
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Milestone Anniversaries Are Celebrated at Westminster Abbey
Queen Elizabeth and Philip's silver (25th), gold (50th), and diamond (60th) anniversaries were all marked with celebrations at Westminster Abbey, though the queen elected to have a small gathering for their platinum (70th) anniversary last year.
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The Abbey Bells Ring For a Ridiculously Long Time on Important Anniversaries
To mark the queen and Philip's 70th anniversary, the abbey's bells rang a full peal consisting of 5,070 sequences that took three and a half hours to complete.
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Queen Elizabeth and Philip's Latest Anniversary Set a New Record
The queen became the first monarch in British history to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.
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The Queen Gave Her Husband a New Title For Their 70th Anniversary
To celebrate their platinum anniversary, the queen appointed Philip the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
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Philip Designed a Bracelet For the Queen For Their 5th Anniversary
In 1952, Philip recruited Boucheron to create a gold, diamond, sapphire, and ruby bracelet he'd designed himself, featuring links of interlocking Es and Ps, that he gave to the queen for their fifth wedding anniversary.