The sleek and chic hotel first opened on The Strand in 1889 and was a favorite of the queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, when they were teenagers in the 1940s. They would go there for dinner, dancing, and cabaret, and at one particular wedding reception in the hotel's River Room, Princess Elizabeth was photographed with the young man who was to become her husband. The Savoy hosted a Coronation Ball for the queen in 1953, and she and Prince Philip returned there to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary. The queen mother was also a fan of the hotel, and she opened the restaurant kitchens after a refurbishment. For the senior royal's amusement, the pianist would always play a short burst of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" whenever she entered the room.
