Their 70th Anniversary- Elizabeth & Philip

THE FUTURE QUEEN WAS JUST 13 WHEN SHE FELL HEAD OVER HEELS FOR THE HANDSOME NAVY CADET—AND THEY HAVE BEEN INSEPARABLE EVER SINCE

- Simon Perry

On a warm English summer day earlier this year, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip drove to the magnificent Cumberland Lodge, a few miles from their home at Windsor Castle, for a prelunch appointment with dear friends. Moving comfortably between the assembled guests, the pair showcased the effortless chemistry they have honed throughout70yearsofmarriage.Straighttalking, quip-dropping Philip, 96—who had previously announced his retirement from public duties in May—“was as jovial and switched on as ever,” says an attendee, while Elizabeth,91, reigned over the gathering with ease. “Part of the reason she keeps going so steadily is that she has him there beside her,” says the guest. “They’re a great team, and that’s still the case.”

With their landmark platinum wedding anniversary on Nov. 20, the couple’s extraordinary partnership remains unwavering, even as they face the losses and demands that accompany the twilight of life. Yes, they are slowing down and relinquishing many of their long-held duties, but they are hardly stepping away. “They are finding their own pace,” says a former household staffer. As for marking their anniversary, they will likely enjoy a quiet family celebration. “She doesn’t want to be showy,” says the former staffer. “They just want to be private about it.”

Of course, their love story began on the most public of stages. The then-Princess Elizabeth was just 13 when she met Philip, a dashing 18-year-old Royal Navy cadet with “piercing blue eyes,” as Elizabeth’s governess later described him. For young Lilibet, as her family called her then, it was love at first sight. “She never looked at anyone else,” her cousin Margaret Rhodes later said.