The morning of the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s wedding to Prince Philip was anything but a fairytale as the young royal grappled with lost accessories and controversial guests, given the year was 1947.
Aged just 21 years old at the time, she was Princess Elizabeth at the time of her wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, and the ceremony took place at Westminster Abbey on 20 November, two years after the end of World War II.
She only became the Queen in 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI, and following their wedding, Philip became the Duke of Edinburgh.
On the morning of her big day, the then-princess experienced “last-minute glitches” as she tried to get ready for the monumental moment that would lead to a 73-year union between herself and her soon-to-be husband.
“There were plenty of last-minute glitches on the morning of the wedding, including a snapped tiara plus a frantic hunt for both the string of pearls and the bridal bouquet (the former had to be retrieved from the exhibition of wedding gifts while the latter had been carefully locked away in a cold storage cupboard),” British journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker, Robert Hardman, penned in his new book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story.
The author further explained the issues the late Queen experienced with her guest list, considering Philip’s family’s ties with Germany so soon after the culmination of the war.
He revealed: “There had also been some difficult moments with the guest list. It was decided that there could be no invitations for the groom’s sisters, since they were all married to former German officers; just two and a half years on from VE Day, forgiveness had only come so far.
“Philip’s family group consisted of just his mother, plus his Mountbatten cousins,” the author added.
© Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II, as Princess Elizabeth, and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1957
A makeshift wedding gown
Another hangover from the war, which caused chaos on her wedding day, was a shortage of material to make her bridal gown, due to a strict rationing scheme that had been put in place at that time.
She had to use clothing ration coupons to pay for her dress, which allocated each type of clothing item a points value depending on the material and labour that went into its creation.
Eleven coupons were needed for a dress, and adults were initially given 66 points for one year, which shrank to just 24 coupons in 1946.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesShe used clothing ration coupons to buy her wedding dress
It was previously reported that the government allowed the Queen 200 extra ration coupons for her wedding dress, and hundreds of well-wishers across the UK also sent Her Majesty their coupons to help with the dress; they were returned as it would have been illegal to use them.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThey held their wedding ceremony in Westminster Abbey
The late Queen Elizabeth’s white satin dress was ultimately created by Sir Norman Hartnell, less than three months before the actual wedding ceremony.