Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. In 1934 and 1937, Princess Elizabeth met Prince Philip, the future King of Greece and Denmark.
They were third cousins through Queen Victoria and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark. Elizabeth, a 13-year-old girl, fell in love with Philip after meeting him for the third time at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in July 1939. They began exchanging letters.
The official announcement of their engagement was made on July 9, 1947, when she was 21 years old. In spite of Philip’s lack of wealth, he had served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and his sisters had married German noblemen with Nazi ties, so the engagement was not without controversy.
Prior to his marriage, Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish titles, converted to Anglican Christianity, and assumed the title of Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, adopting the surname of his British mother’s family in the process.
He was elevated to the title of Duke of Edinburgh and given the title His Royal Highness just before the wedding.
Why does Queen Elizabeth Carry a Handbag?
Queen Elizabeth utilizes her handbag to communicate with her employees in a manner reminiscent of James Bond’s subtlety and style. In addition, she wears neon-colored clothing for an unknown reason.
At any time she wishes, she can use these signals to exit the conversation. Whenever the Queen switches the position of her typical handbag from one of her left to her right arm while conversing with someone, her bodyguards know she intends to wrap it up quickly.
Her bag on the floor is a signal that she needs to be rescued from an unpleasant meeting as quickly as possible.
So, if she’s at dinner and sets it down, you can bet she’s ready to call it a night.
Sally Bedell Smith, a royal biographer, says the goods the Queen carries in her luggage aren’t that different from those carried by ordinary women: a mirror, lipstick, mint lozenges, and glasses for reading. Rest of royal family has their own dress code regulations to abide by.
