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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Paige Holland

Queen's 'alarming' wedding day disaster - and advice that calmed her

The Queen's wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh was a beautiful occasion.

The Monarch, who was Princess Elizabeth at the time, and Prince Philip announced their engagement on July 9, 1947, and tied the knot four months later in November at Westminster Abbey.

In the run up to their big day, the couple spent hours obsessing over every detail - carefully planning the guest list, the food and outfits for their celebration.

But unfortunately, as with most things in life, there are some things you just can't control. And on the day itself, just two hours before the event was due to start, disaster struck.

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Her tiara snapped in half as the hairdresser was fixing it to her veil, which almost prevented her from wearing it at all.

Princess Elizabeth and Lt Philip Mountbatten after their wedding 1947 (Mirrorpix)

She told the Duchess of Cambridge the story when the royal duo went to see an exhibition on Kate's wedding dress in 2011.

She said: "The catch, which I didn't know existed, it suddenly went.

"And I didn’t know it was a necklace, you see. I thought I'd broken it.

"We stuck it all together again, but I was rather alarmed."

The Queen and Prince Philip on their wedding day (Corbis via Getty Images)

And it was down to the Queen Mother's words that she kept her cool.

She reportedly reminded the upset bride "there are still two hours and there are other tiaras."

Luckily, since this was unlike any ordinary wedding, Princess Elizabeth had a jeweller on standby just in case something went wrong.

He came rushing to the rescue, and successfully managed to repair it in time.

The tiara was welded back together and the princess was able to wear it one of the most magical days of her life.

Some people even claim that you can see the tiara looks slightly wonky in some of the pictures from the day.

But almost 73 years on, her granddaughter Princess Beatrice wore it when she tied the knot to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and it looks perfect.

She also teamed it with another item the Queen had previously worn - the dress.

Have you got a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk

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