Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip Marriage Facts You Probably Didn't Know

Nowadays, most royal fans only have their eyes on the fab four — Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — when in fact Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have one of the world’s most interesting marriages. Here are facts about their marriage that you probably didn’t know:

1. Philip had to make sacrifices to marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s family did not want Philip for her, so they invited none of his German family members to their wedding. They also required Philip to become a naturalized British citizen before he could marry Elizabeth.

2. They are distantly related by blood. Elizabeth and Philip are related — while Elizabeth is the great-great granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, Philip is the great grandson of the same king.

3. It was Elizabeth who fell in love with Philip first. Elizabeth and Philip met at a family wedding in 1934. That time, Elizabeth was only eight, while Philip was 13. Elizabeth fell in love with Philip the first time she saw him.

4. King George VI delayed their engagement announcement for a reason. King George VI gave his blessing when Philip asked for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage when Elizabeth was 20. However, the king thought his daughter was too young to marry. He and his wife also felt that the British public needed more time to accept Philip as a member of the royal family because of his multinational lineage and unsatisfactory family background.

5. Elizabeth used ration coupons to buy herself a wedding dress. Since Britain was still recovering from World War II when they were married, Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding was not like the typical royal weddings today — elegant and extravagant. In fact, Elizabeth had to use ration coupons to pay for the wedding dress she wanted.

6. Their marriage was based on love. While some royal weddings are made to forge and strengthen political ties, Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding was based on love. During their wedding breakfast, Queen Elizabeth said she wanted nothing more than for her and Philip to be as happy as her father and mother have been.