The marriage of the Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, was solemnized in Westminster Abbey on 26 April 1923. The day dawned dull and rainy but there were thousands of spectators and the sun came out as the bride entered the Abbey.

Whilst the bridegroom waited at the altar in the uniform of a Group Captain of the Royal Air Force, with his brothers The Prince of Wales and Prince Henry of Gloucester, Lady Elizabeth paused to place her bouquet of white roses and heather on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Her ivory coloured bridal gown was in simple medieval style and she was attended by two young trainbearers and six bridesmaids.

The marriage was the first occasion rising from an English king's consent to the marriage of a royal prince, in direct succession to the throne, to one of his own subjects.

As the Duke and Duchess of York left Buckingham Palace for their honeymoon they were showered with confetti and rose petals. They could not have known that thirteen years later the Duke, second son of George V. would become King George VI, and that a consort's crown would be placed upon the head of the 'little Duchess'.

The centenary of the first adhesive postage stamp occurred during the reign of George VI, and commemorative stamps were issued on 6 May 1940 bearing profile portraits of The King and his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Stamps to commemorate the Silver Wedding of King George and Queen Elizabeth were issued on 26 April 1948. The King, like his father before him, was an enthusiastic stamp collector and added many new items to the Royal Collection.

Men and women of all degrees in nearly every part of the world were able to share directly in the marriage service of Princess Elizabeth, heiress presumptive to the British throne, when she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on Thursday; 20 November 1947. For, by the decision of King George VI, the whole of the wedding service in Westminster Abbey was broadcast by radio, an innovation in royal wedding arrangements.

Although a certain amount of austerity overshadowed the happy day, the wedding procession encompassed all the traditional splendour and the sight overwhelmed the thousands of jubilant onlookers to whom the Second World War was a thing of the recent past. The Duke was dressed in his naval Service uniform. The Princess wore an embroidered ivory satin gown with a long train of silk tulle.

After the wedding ceremony The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh rode together in the Glass Coach back to Buckingham Palace, where the crowd chanting 'We want the bride and groom' brought them out on to the balcony.

The occasion served to testify to the people's feelings for the royal family and to the continued stability of the monarchy.

Almost a year later the people were again gathered outside Buckingham Palace, for on 14 November 1948 Princess Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, a son, The Prince Charles.

During the present reign of Queen Elizabeth numerous commemorative stamps have been issued which cover a wide variety of subjects, including many Royal Family occasions. The Queen has maintained a keen interest in the Royal Stamp Collection and it is now one of the finest of its kind in existence. -