Royal Weekend at Buckingham Palace

The Buckingham Palace Royal Wedding Exhibition opens today in London, to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

The Queen was on TV last night, on the BBC's 6 o'clock News, touring the new exhibition at Buckingham Palace which opens today. The Royal Wedding Exhibition is part of the celebrations for the Queen's 60th wedding anniversary, coming up in November. She married Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on 20th November 1947, and the exhibition is the first time that many of the items have been put on show, and the first time that many of them have been seen in the same place.

The displays were obviously bringing back memories for the Queen, who was the 21-year-old Princess Elizabeth when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who was made Duke of Edinburgh before the marriage. The Queen's memories must have been mixed, as it is was quite a controversial marriage at the time.

Lieutenant Mountbatten was born on Corfu, and his grandfather was King George I of Greece. Prince Philip had to renounce his claims to the Greek throne before he could marry Princess Elizabeth. He was also a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, marrying someone who would probably become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. It is said that the Queen's Mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, did not approve of the marriage – just like any other family marriage then! But controversial or not, the Queen's 60-year marriage has proved to be the longest marriage ever for any British monarch.

After their marriage Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh went to live in Clarence House. To read about visiting Clarence House click here.

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To read a Visitor Guide for Buckingham Palace, click here.

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And to read more about the Buckingham Palace Royal Wedding Exhibition, including details of how to get tickets, click here.

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