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ABC News
ABC News
National
Melissa Maykin

Queen Elizabeth II marks 74th wedding anniversary without her 'strength and stay', Prince Philip

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were Britain's longest-married royal couple.  (Photo: Sophie, Countess of Wessex)

Queen Elizabeth II has marked her first wedding anniversary alone, seven months after the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.

The then-Princess Elizabeth became engaged to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in July 1947, tying the knot in Westminster Abbey in November the same year. 

Their marriage of more than seven decades made the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh the longest married couple in British royal history. 

In 2017, the Queen and the Duke celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary and their relationship endured until Prince Philip's death in April this year. 

At a banquet to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1997, the Queen said he often gave her "strength".

The Queen, who is 95 years old, only recently returned to royal duties after she sprained her back, missing this year's Remembrance Day service.

She also spent a night in a London hospital last month after being admitted for tests, and was later told to rest for two weeks.

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