Royal messages of congratulation have been sent to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they celebrate their 72nd wedding anniversary.
The Queen, who is attending to royal duties in London on Wednesday as part of her working week, will be apart from Philip, who is spending much of his retirement on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, more than 100 miles away.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked the occasion on their SussexRoyal Instagram account with an archive photo of the young monarch and the duke arriving at Royal Ascot by carriage in 1956.
The post read: “Happy anniversary to Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh!
“On this day, seventy-two years ago, they were married at Westminster Abbey. Many congratulations!”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s social media account also shared images of the Queen and Philip from the past and present.
Their message read: “Wishing Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh a very happy 72nd Wedding Anniversary!”
The royal family’s official Twitter account also celebrated the rare achievement.
The Queen, now 93, was a 21-year-old princess when she married the dashing Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on November 20 1947.
Princess Elizabeth was dressed in an ivory silk Norman Hartnell gown, decorated with 10,000 seed pearls, glittering crystals and an intricate 13ft (4m) star-patterned train, when she wed 26-year-old Philip, who was fresh from serving in the Royal Navy in the Second World War.
Their enduring relationship has lasted the longest of any British sovereign.
Philip, 98, who has now retired, was at the Queen’s side throughout the decades on royal duty.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here