The Queen snubbed Prince Philip’s family at their wedding – 73 years ago today – over concerns of links to the Nazi regime. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary today. Royally Obsessed co-host Roberta Fiorito discussed the reasons why Prince Philip’s own sisters were not invited to the wedding amid Nazi sympathy fears.
The pair married in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, with more than 2,000 guests in attendance.
However, Ms Fiorito noted that Philip’s sisters were “notably absent”.
She explained: “Three of them married Nazis before the war so they were not invited to the wedding, obviously.
“There were a lot of reservations on her side of the family about Philip, particularly around his German ties. This was all after World War 2.”
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She added: “There was a lot of hesitation around his German background and so before the wedding, he renounced his Greek and Danish titles and officially converted from Greek Orthodox to Anglicanism.
“He also adopted the surname of his maternal grandparents – Mountbatten.”
In post-war Britain, it was not seen as acceptable for any of the Duke of Edinburgh’s German family members to be invited to the wedding, including Philip’s three surviving sisters, all of whom had married German princes.
Discussing the royal couple’s early days, Ms Fiorito said: “The Queen met Philip a few times when they were young. They were second cousins once removed.
The wedding was attended by leading political figures at the time including Prime Minister Clement Attlee and former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The royal couple marked their wedding anniversary today by releasing a photo showing them reading a card made by great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The couple is pictured on a sofa in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle, where they are spending lockdown.
On their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, the Queen paid a touching tribute to her husband, saying: “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”
