Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrate 70 years of marriage on Monday Nov 20,2017, becoming Britain's first reigning couple to mark a platinum wedding anniversary.
The decades-spanning marriage of the Queen -- the nation's longest serving sovereign -- has outlasted those of all prior British monarchs.
The fairy-tale royal wedding at London's Westminster Abbey on Nov 20, 1947 was a morale boost during the tough years immediately after World War II.
Their marriage endured, as Philip accepted living in his wife's shadow, and the Queen seemingly forgiving his periodic gaffes.
They had four children -- Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward -- though their marriages have been less successful, with all except Edward having divorced.
The couple also boast eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, with a sixth great-grandchild expected in April, when Prince William and wife Kate Middleton's third child is due.
The 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh retired from the public eye this summer, enjoying his newfound free time reading and painting.
For her part the Queen, at 91, is slowly passing over some of her official duties to her son Prince Charles, now aged 69.
The royal couple first met as teenagers, and eventually married when Elizabeth was a 25-year-old princess.
Philip, the son of a Greek prince banished from that country, renounced his titles and Greek Orthodox faith and became a British citizen in order to marry, adopting his mother's anglicised name, Mountbatten.
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