UK / FILE: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary

Queen Elizabeth, the first reigning British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary, marked the milestone on Monday (November 19) with a service of thanksgiving alongside her husband Prince Philip. The 81-year-old monarch and her 86-year-old husband, whose family have been buffeted by a string of scandals, divorces and tragedy, retraced their steps up the aisle of Westminster Abbey to hail 60 years of marriage. The family's German relations were not invited to their 1947 wedding because of strong anti-German feeling in Britain after World War Two. This time they were on the guest list. The 2,000-strong congregation included playwright Tom Stoppard and opera singer Joan Sutherland, as well as four other British couples also celebrating diamond wedding anniversaries. The service was staged the day before the actual anniversary -- November 20. On Tuesday, the royal couple will mark the day by flying to the Mediterranean island of Malta where Prince Philip was serving as a naval officer at the time of their marriage. In sharp contrast to the Queen and her consort, three of the royal couple's four children have divorced. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual head of the world's 77 million Anglicans, praised the royal marriage as a faithful and creative partnership. "Almighty God, God of promise and of faithfulness, who has led you together through so many years, renew in your hearts today the promises you have made to one another and the sharing of your hope and joy. May He make your lives a sign of his own faithful love. May He strengthen and inspire the service you offer to the whole community of this nation and Commonwealth. May His living word continue to transform and guide you and all whom you love. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always. Amen," the church dignitary said. The wedding of Elizabeth, who had been in love with Philip since she was a child, offered a rare burst of colour and pageantry in an austere post-war world of rationing and shortages in Britain. On her wedding day, the 21-year-old princess wore an ivory silk Norman Hartnell gown decorated with 10,000 seed pearls. On Tuesday (November 20), the Queen and Prince Philip are due to fly to Malta, where they lived in the early days of their marriage when Philip was a serving naval officer.

ITN Source | November 26, 2007

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