Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have been married for more than 70 years. The pair celebrated their 73rd anniversary in November, spending the day together in their support bubble. In recent years the royal couple have marked their anniversaries apart, as Philip has been mainly based at Wood Farm in Sandringham since his retirement in 2017.
The Queen, meanwhile, continued to work from Buckingham Palace.
Such a lengthy relationship, royal commentators have noted, would likely put strain on even the most committed romances.
A clue to their platinum anniversary was divulged during a video published by The List.
Chronicling their marriage from the very beginning, in 2018, it said: “Even though they’ve managed to make love last all this time, Elizabeth and Philip are still known to keep one another at bay in certain ways.
“The two have never shared a bedroom, and have always instead had adjoining rooms.
“Given the size of their various castles and royal manors, it’s probably not surprising that the two choose to keep their own spaces.
“But it’s been that way since 1949 when they first moved into the Clarence House.”
This separation furthered in 2017 on Philip’s retirement.
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“They then travelled to Balmoral.”
He desired the pair’s being together for the anniversary as “highly fortunate”.
Odd details about their relationship are aplenty.
There remains a huge power imbalance between the two as Elizabeth is the ruling monarch.
This disparity was more pronounced shortly after Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1953, as Philip remained the Duke of Edinburgh.
It took another four years for him to gain his princely title.
Despite this, royal commentators have consistently said the Queen and Philip have enjoyed a good relationship.
Speaking on True Royalty TV last year, host Kate Thornton said: “She has given us a very rare insight into what makes their relationship tick.”
Journalist Sean Fletcher said: “They sound like two people in love who have lived their lives in the public eye but at the heart of all of it is a really strong relationship.
“The fact that Prince Philip decided to go to Windsor and that he wanted to spend time with her during the lockdown…
“It accentuates your relationship, it looks like they’re in a good place anyway and they’re in a better place coming out of it.”
Sunday Times Royal Correspondent Roya Nikkhah added: “It’s remarkable in a family which has had in recent decades quite a lot of marriage breakdown and this is a marriage that has endured for 70 years plus.
“There is another lovely example where Philip is giving a speech for one of the Queen’s Jubilees.
“Philip says that in order to have a good marriage, you have to have tolerance and patience, both qualities that the Queen has in abundance.”
