My grandmother at the soft age of 96 nonetheless talks concerning the day Queen Elizabeth and her late husband Prince Philip despatched her an invitation for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace. They obtained the Royal invite as a result of they shared the same wedding day, and it become arising to their 50th wedding Anniversary.
My Grandparents - Dan & Noreen Walsh chopping the cake at their Golden wedding Anniversary
according to Nanny Noreen "we weren't the simplest ones invited to the Palace that day, the Royal couple invited all and sundry who was married on the equal day as them on November 20th 1947. We had been all invited to rejoice our Golden marriage ceremony Anniversaries together in splendour of Buckingham Palace".
My grandparents may additionally have been married on the identical day because the Royal couple, however their lives have been worlds apart. Nanny and Grandad are both from eire at the beginning, Nanny left the Comeragh Mountains, Co. Waterford at 19 years of age for England and Grandad left his home of Spiddal, Co. Galway, aged 25. They met each and every other in London in opposition t the end of World battle II and the rest is history!
put up conflict London was in devastation and became been built lower back up brick by way of brick. Grandad's first job became in demolitions, dismantling bombed down buildings after the battle. whereas Nanny was a young nurse in St Bartholomew's hospital. They married six months after meeting at a satisfaction of Eireann Dance. She turned into 23 years ancient and Grandad turned into 33.
The Royal marriage ceremony was a really diverse affair
Their marriage ceremony changed into not the lavish affair that the young Royals loved, Nan recollects "every little thing become rationed in England lower back then, we didn't even have a biscuit on our marriage ceremony day. Your Grandfather changed into completed up like a Lord, from the shillings he had saved but I had to borrow an overcoat from a fellow nurse. i used to be so late for our wedding since the imply historic Sister in the sanatorium held me back, Dan idea i used to be going to stand him up!"
this is a narrative I even have heard a million instances becoming up however I feel it grew to be greater true from staring at the tv collection 'The Crown' and the burial ceremony of the late Prince Philip prior this year.
Nanny turned into glued to the tv on April 17th ultimate, observing each ultimate element of Prince Philip's funeral from Windsor castle. She became always excited about the Royal household after living in London for essentially forty years.
Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip on their marriage ceremony day, November twentieth, 1947
Nanny and Grandad settled returned in eire in 1980 however they certainly not forgot their life in England and the alternatives it gave them. we're Irish to the core however Nanny at all times remembers their existence there with fondness, even all the way down to the dishes she nevertheless cooks today.
returned within the '80s when Irish people religiously devour meat and two veg dinners, our residence felt very exotic with Nanny's cooking. day by day after school she would feed us her regular recipes, those she loved together with her plenty diversified London pals. We commonly ate Indian curries crammed with cooking apples and raisins, spaghetti Bolognese, toad within the gap, bangers and mash, Yorkshires puddings, pigs in blankets to identify however just a few.
existence became first rate to them in England with a superb Irish group round them. To today she nonetheless tells us reviews of post conflict London, correct up to the loopy swinging 60s. so you see the invitation turned into very particular to Buckingham Palace on their joint Golden wedding Anniversary.
sadly my grandparents couldn't make journey again to the uk, Grandad became eighty three and his heart become dangerous. So as a substitute we threw them the marriage reception they under no circumstances had in Bennettsbridge neighborhood corridor. With one hundred fifty visitors in attendance for a sit down meal and Fr. Duggan asserting mass earlier than that celebration, Nanny spoke of it changed into a feast fit for a Queen!
lamentably Granddad passed away a year later on their 51st wedding Anniversary. Nanny at ninety six years of age nevertheless thinks of her love day by day, particularly as she appears at the framed letter they acquired from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, which examine…
"here's a distinct year for you and for us, and we're sorry that you just cannot be at Buckingham Palace on 15th July to have a good time our Golden marriage ceremony. We hope that you have a very satisfied anniversary and send our highest quality wishes and congratulations to you each."
Signed
Elizabeth & Philip
3rd June, 1997"
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