Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip married on 20th November 1947, a flash of colour in post-war austerity. But behind the scenes, a mishap changed royal wedding preparations forever.
ITV's documentary 'A Very Royal Wedding' revealed that the Queen's bouquet mysteriously disappeared after the ceremony. Wedding photos show Elizabeth without her bouquet, forcing the couple to interrupt their honeymoon for retakes with a replica.
Florist Martin Longman's son David recalled: 'Soon after the wedding day, father got a call from Buckingham Palace saying would they make a replica of the bouquet. Halfway through their honeymoon, Princess and Prince Philip came back to the Palace. She put her wedding dress on again and he put his naval uniform on and then they had the photographs, just the two of them.'
This incident led to a tradition: all subsequent royal brides, including Meghan Markle in 2018, have had two bouquets made. The original bouquet featured orchids and myrtle, all grown in the British Isles—a remarkable feat given post-war shortages.
