Prince Philip funeral: Queen 'holding up well' claims Jobson

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Her Majesty buried her husband of 73 years on Saturday in Windsor and the image of her sitting on her own in St George’s Chapel pulled on heartstrings all over the world. The pair celebrated their Platinum Anniversary three years ago and the Queen commented that she did not think there was such a thing as a Platinum Anniversary when she got married. She said: “They didn’t think we would be around that long.”

In this way, the Queen revealed that no one thought they would make it to the great old age they were, and the couple defied expectations with the length of their marriage.

Perhaps this was partly due to her parents’ own heartbreak.

The monarch’s own father King George VI died at the age of 56 after suffering from smoking-related illnesses for a number of years.

However, her mother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lived to be 101 years old.

This means their marriage lasted just 23 years, less than a third of the length of time of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s.

The Queen Mother was devastated at the loss of her husband and initially decided to retire to rural Scotland to grieve.

She was eventually coaxed back to public duty by Winston Churchill, according to the 2002 book ‘The Queen Mother Remembered’.

The Queen’s grandfather King George V was a little more lucky, dying aged 70, but was also outlived by his wife Queen Mary, who lived to be 85 years old.

Their marriage lasted 42 years.

It is also possible that this prediction was partly due to the way the world was at the time the Queen and Philip got married.

The royal couple tied the knot in 1947, just two years after the end of World War 2, before which had been the Great Depression and World War 1.

It was a very rocky period for Europe and the world, with many men dying in war and modern medicine was not as good as it is today.

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Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.

In a special episode of the podcast to pay tribute to Prince Philip’s life, they were joined by Mirror Online features editor Zoey Forsey.

Ms Forsey said: “One of the things that I found really interesting, one of the many quotes that’s resurfaced is something the Queen said.

“She said: ‘When we were married, I don’t think there was such a thing as a Platinum Anniversary. They didn’t think we’d be around that long.’

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“And I just found that really interesting because when they got married 73 years ago it wasn’t even a concept that they might be celebrating this anniversary.

“And I think that for me really highlighted what they’ve been through together and that length of time that is obviously much longer than any of us have been alive.”

Ms Forsey went on to highlight another quote from the Queen, which has been widely used in the media since the Duke of Edinburgh’s death on April 9.

Her Majesty described him as her “strength and stay” during a speech in 1997 that encapsulated their relationship and the role he has played in her life.

The Mirror Online features editor said: “What I also thought was really interesting was the quote the Royal Family decided to share alongside the photo after the initial message, which is the famous statement she made in 1997, when she described him as her strength and stay.

“They are the two words that have been used to describe, in pretty much every newspaper, media report, every piece of coverage, and I think that really highlighted their marriage and what he brought to her as a person but also to her as a Queen.”

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