How the Queen and Prince Philip are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary

The Queen and Prince Philip are celebrating their platinum wedding anniversary today (20 November) with a small family get-together.

The event is in stark contrast to the raucous celebration which kicked off their marriage 70 years ago at Westminster Abbey, where they received 2,500 gifts from well-wishers around the world.

The glittering ceremony took place on 20 November 1947, just two years after the end of World War Two, and attracted statesmen and royalty from across the globe and thousands of cheering crowds.

There was controversy surrounding the royal union, as it was deemed not acceptable for the Duke of Edinburgh's German relations – including his three surviving sisters – to be invited to the wedding in post-war Britain.

Seventy years later, Prince Philip is the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the oldest male member of the British royal family. He retired from his royal duties on 2 August 2017 at the age of 96. He has completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952. Despite his good health, there are no public events planned to celebrate his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II, 91.

The couple will celebrate the milestone with a private party at Windsor Castle, which is the monarch's home to the west of London.

The occasion marks the first time they have stayed at home for a wedding anniversary. For their silver, golden and diamond celebrations, they attended thanksgiving services at Westminster Abbey – where the Queen was crowned in 1952.

Despite their no-show today, the Abbey will mark the Queen and Duke's special day with a full peal of its bells featuring 5,070 change of sequences.

New photographs of the Queen and Duke have also been released to mark the anniversary. The portraits published last night were taken by Matt Holyoak from Camera Press.

The couple seemed in great spirits as the Queen looks elegant in a cream day dress by her in-house designer Angela Kelly. She wore the same outfit at the Diamond Wedding Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving. The eye-catching red and gold brooch she is wearing was given to her by her husband in 1966.

Of the momentous occasion, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: "This is another anniversary that is unique in our history and is an opportunity to look back over seven decades and appreciate this amazing partnership.

"It is reported that the event will be commemorated by a private family dinner at Windsor. Previous wedding anniversaries have been celebrated by national services of thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey but the Duke, at 96, has now retired and this is probably the reason for this private celebration."

Reflecting on the early years of their marriage, he continued: "When they married in 1947 in a time of post-war austerity Churchill called the event 'a flash of colour along the hard road we have to travel'. The Queen has been a beacon of stability since then with Philip as her 'strength and stay' which has comforted the nation despite the seismic change.

"The Queen has fulfilled her pledge to serve all her life which she made when she was 21 and the Duke's main purpose, in a role he would not have chosen, has been to support her and the institution of monarchy. He has been abrasive and idiosyncratic but, above all, loyal," he concluded.

Another royal writer, Phil Dampier, added: "Above all they have been a great team, supporting each other. She would be the first person to say she couldn't have done the job without him. Humour has been very important, at the heart of their relationship. We forget they are humans and without a good laugh sometimes their duties would be overwhelming."