As Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh reach their platinum wedding anniversary, we celebrate the longest royal marriage in British history. 70 years on from the wedding day, this remarkable partnership is honoured by a carefully selected pairing of an original 1947 sixpence and the new decimal 6p of 2017, designed by John Bergdahl. This unique set is accompanied by a booklet that details the royal wedding of 1947 and explores the tradition of the sixpence coin.

Told in a Pair of Sixpences

As sweethearts from a young age, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married at Westminster Abbey at 11.30am on the 20 of November 1947. The young couple gave hope to a post-war Britain gripped by austerity, and the wedding was seen by many as a joyous respite from challenging times. Although thousands lined the streets of London and millions listened on the radio, Princess Elizabeth’s father George VI gave her away in the same tradition as many parents do to this day.

The sixpence is another enduring tradition, which has long been associated with weddings thanks to an old English rhyme that talks of a sixpence coin being placed in the bride’s left shoe. It is thought that the coin brings health, wealth and happiness, and the tradition of the silver sixpence continues today, handed from one generation to another at weddings and perhaps even appearing in your Christmas pudding if you’re lucky.