A Royal Post-War Wedding, Princess Elizabeth and Phillip Montbatten (1947).
The formal portrait of Princess Elizabeth (more famously known as Queen Elizabeth II) and Lt. Phillip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, show the regal attire of a princess marrying a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. They married in November of 1947 at Westminster Abbey in front of 2,000 guests that included royalty from around the world. But that extensive guest list did not Phillip’s sisters, who had married into German royalty and had Nazi connections.
King George VI, Elizabeth’s father, forbid their attendance due to lingering tensions between Britain and Germany. World War II touched another important aspect of the wedding, the bride’s dress. The fabric for Princess Elizabeth’s dress was purchased using clothing ration coupons. People sent their coupons from all over the United Kingdom to contribute to the dress, but they had to be returned. It would have been illegal for Elizabeth to use these gifts.
