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Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II are set to celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary in the coming weeks. The pair wed had fallen in love as teenagers over mail and wed in the years following World War II.

Just a few years into their marriage, the queen’s father, King George VI, died unexpectedly, leaving Queen Elizabeth, who was then a 25-year-old wife and mother, to step into the spotlight and take the throne. Together, the pair have four children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. They have countless grand-children and great-grandchildren and have weathered more than one storm together.

Though the Duke of Edinburgh and the queen’s relationship hasn’t been perfect, the 99-year-old duke just proved that romance isn’t dead.

Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and her fiance, Philip Mountbatten at Buckingham Palace, after their engagement was announced, 10th July 1947
Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and her fiance, Philip Mountbatten at Buckingham Palace, after their engagement was announced, 10th July 1947 | Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The early years of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II’s marriage were very difficult

Following the death of Queen George VI, Queen Elizabeth stepped into the spotlight as the sovereign monarch. Unfortunately, for a 20th-century man like Prince Philip, who was used to being the alpha, standing by his wife’s side as her helpmate proved to be more challenging than he expected.

It didn’t help that he had to give up his role in the Royal Navy, and he was forced into royal duties and engagements that he found dull and uninteresting. In the film, Being the Queen, directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings, the filmmaker analyzes the royal couple’s long term marriage.

“That the Queen’s relationship was very strained at first because Philip basically had to give up his bride to the world and take a backseat to everything that’s going on,” he revealed to Us Weekly.

Prince Philip has always remained by Queen Elizabeth II’s side

Despite his personal feelings about his wife’s ranking over him. Prince Philip has remained by the queen’s side over the years. He’s also resented the rumors of infidelity that riddled their marriage during its early years.

During his 50th anniversary celebration with the queen in 1997, the duke said, “I think the main lesson we have learnt is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient in any happy marriage… You can take it from me; the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.”

These days, despite the prince’s retirement, he and the queen have often made time for one another. In fact, amid quarantine, they were in isolation together.

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The U.K. has officially gone into their second nation-wide lockdown as cooler weather has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases. Unfortunately, this means the royals will be under lockdown during their wedding anniversary on Nov. 20.

Since retiring from his royal duties in 2017, Prince Philip has been living at the Wood Farm cottage on the Sandringham estate with the queen living at Buckingham Palace.

Now, the queen is in Windsor as Buckingham Palace undergoes renovations. The prince has traveled to be with her during this second lockdown as their anniversary and the holidays approach.

“The Duke of Edinburgh traveled back with Her Majesty to Windsor today,” royal correspondent Rebecca English shared on Twitter. “They will be at the castle together for #lockdown2uk – which includes their 73rd wedding anniversary on November 20.”

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