The historic wedding of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, which took place 78 years ago at Westminster Abbey, is remembered as a flawless royal occasion. However, behind the scenes, two major disasters threatened to derail the entire day just hours before the ceremony began.
A Tiara in Crisis
As the then-Princess Elizabeth prepared for her nuptials at Buckingham Palace, a critical problem emerged with her chosen headpiece. She had decided to wear the magnificent Queen Mary's Russian Fringe tiara, but the precious heirloom snapped. In a dramatic race against time, the Court Jeweller was given a police escort to his workshop to perform an emergency repair. The jeweller made it back to the Palace with the restored tiara just in the nick of time.
The Missing Heirloom Earrings
No sooner had the tiara crisis been averted than a second panic ensued. The Princess realised she had left the pearl earrings, a gift from her father King George VI specifically for her to wear on the day, at St James's Palace. Her Private Secretary was dispatched on a urgent mission to retrieve them, successfully delivering the sentimental jewels just in time for her official wedding photographs.
A Wedding Forged in Austerity
The context of this royal wedding was markedly different from modern ceremonies. Taking place in November 1947, the United Kingdom was still in the grip of post-World War Two austerity. Questions were raised about the cost of the wedding dress, leading hundreds of well-wishers to send their clothing ration coupons to the Palace. These had to be returned as it would have been illegal for the Princess to use them. Instead, the government granted her an allowance of 200 extra ration coupons to have her gown created by designer Norman Hartnell.
The ceremony itself was broadcast by BBC Radio to an estimated 200 million people worldwide. Following their marriage, the couple received the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Earl and Countess of Merioneth, and The Baron and Lady Greenwich.
The Lost Bouquet and a Lasting Legacy
Even after the main ceremony concluded, another mishap occurred. The Queen misplaced her wedding bouquet before the large group photographs were taken. With staff unable to locate it, the royal bride's hands were noticeably empty in the official pictures. The solution saw the couple re-don their wedding attire during their honeymoon to pose for individual pictures again, with florist David Longman providing a replacement bouquet.
This incident established a new protocol for future royal weddings. As David Longman revealed, "To ensure this mistake never happens again every royal bride now has two bouquets, just in case someone accidentally puts it down and forgets about it."
The marriage, which began amidst these dramatic pre-wedding scrambles, lasted for 73 years until Prince Philip's death in 2021, standing as a testament to a partnership that overcame challenges from its very first day.
