The Queen and Prince Philip have been photographed for a series of portraits in celebration of their 70th wedding anniversary, on Monday 20 November. The images, taken by British photographer Matt Holyoak in early November, show Her Majesty, 91, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 96, posing in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. One picture show the Queen smiling as she sits on a golden chair, her hands resting on her lap, as her husband stands proudly by her side. The monarch looks lovely in a cream day dress by Angela Kelly, which she also wore at the Diamond Wedding Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving. She wears the Scarab brooch pinned to her chest; the brooch, in yellow gold, carved ruby and diamond, was a personal gift from the Duke to the Queen in 1966. Another portrait shows Philip looking tenderly at his wife as they stand side-by-side, while a third shows the couple standing next to each other looking straight at the camera.
The Queen and Prince Philip are celebrating 70 years of marriage
The monarch was a 21-year-old Princess when she was married to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on 20th November 1947. She is the nation's longest reigning sovereign, having overtaken the record set by Queen Victoria, and is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.
STORY: Iconic wedding: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
The monarch was a 21-year-old Princess when she married at Westminster Abbey
On Monday evening, the couple will host a special dinner for family and close friends at Windsor Castle. The state apartments will be closed all day, Windsor Castle's official website notes, perhaps to give the royals as much privacy as possible. Members of the royal family who are expected to attend include the Queen and Prince Philip's four children – Prince Charles, who has just celebrated his 69th birthday this week, Princess Anne, 67, Prince Andrew, 57, and Prince Edward, 53. Bells will also ring out at the historic London church where they said their vows. At Westminster Abbey on Monday at 1pm, a team of ten ringers will sound a full celebratory peal in tribute, lasting three hours and 20 minutes.
The couple will celebrate with a private dinner for family and close friends at Windsor Castle
With their family growing year by year, the Queen and Philip are preparing to welcome their sixth great-grandchild in April - a third child for Prince William and Duchess Kate. They already have five great-grandchildren - Savannah and Isla Phillips, Mia Tindall, Prince George and Princess Charlotte - as well as eight grandchildren - Peter and Zara Phillips, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn.
