This film is part of Free
Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten
Royal nuptials at Westminster Abbey, attended by the great and good including King George VI and Winston Churchill
Overview
It's 20 November 1947, and Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, spinster, ties the knot with Philip Mountbatten, bachelor, in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey - filmed for the benefit of cinema audiences not invited to the big do. A Mexican wave of curtsies follows the 21-year-old future queen as she glides up the aisle, followed by her parents and other dignitaries including Winston and Clementine Churchill. The whole affair is rather solemn, but the newlyweds do crack a smile at the end as they pose for the cameras.
These crisp images have presumably detached themselves from a longer film, but were acquired by the BFI National Archive as part of a mixed 16mm reel of assorted royal weddings lacking any titles or other information.
Related
Princess Di Wedding and Winter Snow Princess Di Wedding and Winter Snow
Amateur film 1982 4 mins Location: Harrow
Everyone's home in Harrow to witness Lady Di's debut as a Royal and a record-breaking winter causes chaos in 1981.
The Best Man The Best Man
Comedy 1986 83 mins Location: Derry / Londonderry
The bar flies prepare for the big day with betting, boozing and banter. But will best man Billy break more than his ma’s heart before the wedding?
A Spring Wedding - the 11th of March 1963 A Spring Wedding - the 11th of March 1963
Amateur film 1963 10 mins Location: Pontypridd
Bedding, table lamps, coffee set, lighter, toaster … gifts that will set up Patricia Morgan and Kenneth Haynes for married life after their wedding at St Mary’s Church, Glyntaf.
The Royal Wedding The Royal Wedding
Non-Fiction 1923 5 mins Silent
The wedding of Queen Elizabeth II's future parents, as later incarnated by Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in 'The King's Speech'.
Princess Mary Wedded to Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey Princess Mary Wedded to Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey
Non-Fiction 1922 8 mins Silent
Newsreel of the lavish royal marriage, which was probably the biggest British newsreel story of the decade.
Princess Mary's Thought Princess Mary's Thought
Non-Fiction 1922 1 mins Silent
The sartorial build up to the lavish nuptials of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922.
Joanna Scanlan - Exclusive Q&A Joanna Scanlan - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 51 mins
Actor and writer Joanna Scanlan talks to Mia Bays, director of the BFI's Filmmaking Fund, about her career in film and television.
Baldwin's N***** Baldwin's N*****
Documentary 1969 44 mins
Horace Ové's striking portrait of the American writer James Baldwin at his sharp-witted best addressing a group of radical West Indian students in 1960s London.
Shoot Your Shot Shoot Your Shot
Drama 2022 12 mins
An emotional stand-off takes flight, as teen best friends Ronit and Brennan come to terms with navigating that fuzzy feeling in their stomachs, all whilst learning to skateboard.
Look Like You Look Like You
Drama 2022 13 mins
While visiting the adoptive family of her eight-year-old biological son, Tara relays advice she gathered from growing up as a queer outcast.
Yellow Yellow
Drama 2023 13 mins
In Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full body veil from a Talib shopkeeper and face a new future.
Nehemich Nehemich
Drama 2023 23 mins
Banished in a dilapidated village hut during her menstruation, a young girl waits to elope with her lover.