The late Queen’s ‘beautiful’ 9-foot wedding cake as you’ve never seen it before

On what would have been their 78th anniversary, The Royal Collection Trust has recalled the wedding of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her beloved husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the charity shared two photos from the historic occasion, which began with a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, followed by a reception in the Ball-Supper Room at Buckingham Palace. “Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on this day in 1947,” the caption began. “This photo by Baron, taken in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace, shows the happy couple on their wedding day. 

“The second photo shows Jack Bryant making the final adjustments to their wedding cake. The cake was 2.7 metres (9 feet) high and weighed 226 kg (500 pounds). One tier of the wedding cake was kept for the christening of their first child, Prince Charles, in December 1948.” According to the Royal Collection Trust’s official website, the bride and groom received eleven wedding cakes, but their official choice was baked by McVitie and Price, using ingredients which were sourced from around the world, including Australia. 

Queen Elizabeth’s wedding cake was made with ingredients from around the world, earning it the nickname, the ‘10,000 mile’ wedding cake
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s historic wedding cake

A decadent and highly detailed creation, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding cake featured the arms of both families, as well as their respective monograms and regimental and naval badges. After the Pâtisserie team at Le Cordon Bleu London was offered the opportunity to recreate the cake for the ITV documentary, A Very Royal Wedding, Chef Julie Walsh revealed what she and her colleagues learned about the design. 

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s 1947 wedding

“The original recipe was developed by Fredrick Schur, Lead Confectioner at McVities & Price. He had his original design for the cake selected by the happy couple out of 11 possible designs. The recipe for the original cake was not disclosed and may have been lost in a fire that devastated the McVities & Price factory many years ago,” explained Julie, “therefore, we had to piece together the information we had to develop the recipe. 

“We discovered that as the royal wedding took place in 1940s post-war Britain, food rationing was still in force, many of the ingredients for a cake of this magnitude would have been scarce and hard to find in the quantities required. The people of Britain and the Commonwealth donated as much as they could spare to ensure the young princess had a fitting cake for the celebrations. 

© Getty ImagesIngredients were shipped over from all around the world, including Australia

“The most notable donation came from the Girl Guide Association of Australia (Princess Elizabeth held the office of Chief Ranger of the British Empire), who sent seven crates containing ingredients for the cake, including powdered milk, flour, spices, and dried fruit, as well as one bottle of the best Australian Brandy! In addition to the Girl Guides donation, others received included flour from Canada, Rum from Jamaica and brown sugar from Barbados.”