Queen Elizabeth II has died 18 months after her beloved husband Prince Philip.
The Queen died on Thursday, September 8, after The Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9, 2021 aged 99. The couple were married for 73 years and the Queen described him as “her rock”.
The pair first met in 1934 when they attended the wedding of Prince Philip's cousin, Princess Marina of Greece to The Duke of Kent, who was an uncle of Princess Elizabeth.
READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96
In 1939 the pair met again at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth and Elizabeth began to write to Philip. Their love blossomed and their engagement was announced on July 9, 1947.
The couple were married in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947. The event was fairly simple, as Britain was still recovering from the war, and Princess Elizabeth had to collect clothing coupons for her dress, like any other young bride.
They spent their honeymoon at Broadlands, Hampshire, the home of Lord Mountbatten, and at Birkhall, Balmoral. Prince Philip provided immense support to Her Majesty, often by her side as she performed countless engagements over the years, before his retirement from public life in 2017.
Together the couple celebrated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of the Queen’s reign. On their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, the Queen said about Philip: “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”
In 2017 the couple celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary, marking 70 years together. When coronavirus hit the pair decided to shield together at Windsor Castle looked after by a small, dedicated staff which became known as HMS Bubble.
The Queen and Prince Philip have four children, The Prince of Wales Charles, heir apparent to the throne, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. They also have eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Following Prince Philip’s death Prince Andrew spoke about the impact on his mother, he said: “The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person. She described his passing as a miracle and she’s contemplating, I think, is the way I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life.”
Prince Philip’s funeral was pared down significantly because of coronavirus restrictions. Rules at the time meant that the Queen had to sit alone in St George’s chapel as she said a final goodbye to her husband.
Prince Philip’s body was interred in the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel, but following the Queen’s death his body will be moved to the King George VI memorial chapel, where they will lie together.
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