SEVENTY years ago the Queen and Philip Mountbatten married in a glittering wedding ceremony as Britain adjusted to post-war life.
As the couple prepare to celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary - a first for a royal husband and wife- Express.co.uk takes a look back at the happy day.
Just two years after the end of the Second World War and the hardship of the food rationing and austerity that came with it, the then Princess Elizabeth's marriage to Philip provided a moment of joy for the nation.
The wedding, which was broadcast to 200 million radio listeners, proved a morale booster for the bomb-scarred country.
The Queen and Prince Philip have enjoyed the longest marriage in royal history and will celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary privately on November 20.
When Prince Philip asked the Queen for her hand in marriage in 1947, he created a ring himself using diamonds from a tiara belonging to his mother.
The dress was made by leading British fashion designer, Norman Hartnell, who shut all of his windows to ensure complete secrecy of the outfit.
Princess Elizabeth had to use ration coupons to get the material needed.
McVitie’s produced a fruit cake for the exclusive affair, which was nine foot high and weighed 500lb.
This was a challenge because of the food rationing and so ingredients came from across the globe, including flour from Canada and butter from New Zealand.
The lucky couple received 10,000 telegrams of congratulations and 2,583 wedding gifts, which included diamonds as well as practical goods such as a washing machine.
And the party started the night before the wedding with a pre-wedding ball where the King led the conga.
The day of the wedding, the Queen did her own make-up and her tiara snapped and had to be replaced by the Crown Jeweller.
Although thousands of royal fans came to Westminster Abbey, there was not much flag-waving as materials were in short supply due to the war.
The couple went to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony where they waved from the balcony to large crowds.
They spent their wedding night in Broadlands, Hampshire, the home of Philip's uncle, Earl Mountbatten.
The rest of their honeymoon was spent at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.
At their golden wedding anniversary, the Queen thanked her husband for being her “strength and stay”.