The Duchess in the Queen's Pearl Choker for Her Majesty and Prince Philip's 70th Anniversary Dinner!

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh marked their landmark 70th wedding anniversary surrounded by family and friends at a special dinner held in the State Apartments at Windsor Castle this evening. It's a wonderful opportunity for the Royal family to gather and mark the momentous occasion with Her Majesty and Philip's dearest friends.

We hadn't anticipated arrival photos, so a special word of thanks to the indefatigable James Whatling.

William, Kate and Harry were also snapped a little earlier leaving KP. As you can see the Duchess was wearing a black jacket.

William, Kate and Harry were all smiles as they arrived.

Embed from Getty Images

Unlike previous milestone anniversaries, the couple elected to celebrate this one privately, however, four wonderful new portraits were taken.

Photographed at the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Her Majesty wore a cream dress by Angela Kelly, which she also wore at the Diamond Wedding Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving. She accessorised with a special piece - the yellow gold ruby and diamond scarab brooch - which was a personal gift from Prince Philip to the Queen in 1966. The images were taken by renowned photographer Matt Holyoak. He said: "I feel very honoured and privileged to have been asked to contribute to this very special occasion. My vision for the image was to capture an intimate and natural portrait of the Queen and Duke to celebrate their landmark anniversary. The Queen and the Duke were very happy and relaxed which made it a pleasure. I feel the images showcase their strength and unity."

The couple posed against a platinum-textured backdrop, in recognition of the special milestone. The image below is my favourite of the four; it captures a very sweet moment and a very loving expression from Philip.

Her Majesty had a rather special gift in mind for her husband to mark the milestone. She appointed the Duke of Edinburgh to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by the Queen for services to the Sovereign. The gesture has been seen as formal recognition of his decades of support, both in public and private. The Telegraph revealed: "The appointment makes him the first UK  citizen awarded four order of chivalry breast stars since Lord Mountbatten of Burma, the Duke's uncle and mentor who was instrumental in encouraging the early courtship of the young Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It is thought that the Duke is now the only living person to have the four: GCVO,  Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG), a Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT) and a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)."

Seventy years ago today the couple said 'I do' at Westminster Abbey.

This photograph, taken from above, shows Princess Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey with her father King George VI, on her wedding day. Her bridesmaids lean in to adjust her veil.

Princess Elizabeth and Philip were photographed at Buckingham Palace following their marriage in Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Norman Hartnell designed the wedding dress, which was decorated with 10,000 pearls sent from America. The tiara was ‘something borrowed’ from the Princess’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, and the pearl necklaces were a wedding present from her parents.

A selection of special moments they have shared together over the decades.

🎥 Take a look at some of the moments The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have shared together over the last 70 years. pic.twitter.com/KRozbU5MKm

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 20, 2017

A number of excellent articles have been written including a piece by Allison Pearson for the Telegraph: "He was her one act of rebellion, she his one act of conformity."

'Three score years and ten is our lease on this Earth, according to the Bible. What does it mean to be married for that long, to spend a whole lifetime together? In the shag’n’go era of Love Island and Tinder, a dating app that “facilitates communication between mutually interested users” (be still my beating heart!) the 70th wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip feels like a magnificent achievement, almost defiant in its patient and tender longevity. 

Some things never change. The official portrait to mark the most successful marriage in Royal history shows ninety-one-year-old Elizabeth smiling warmly at the camera, as she always does. Her husband, still ramrod straight at 96, gives that unmistakable flinty-eyed Philip look which hisses, “Get on with it, man!”

From the Express a list of seventy facts and stories: The Queen and Prince Philip wedding anniversary: 70 years of love and laughter:

A deep love for each other and a shared sense of humour have sustained the pair, now aged 91 and 96, through good times and bad. Phil Dampier discovers 70 touching and amusing stories about the most famous couple in the world.

1 Elizabeth and Philip, both greatgreat-grandchildren of Queen Victoria and therefore cousins, first met in 1934 at a family wedding when she was eight.

2 Philip captured her heart in 1939 when he was asked to look after Elizabeth and sister Margaret on a visit by their parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

3 Handsome blond-haired Philip, then 18, sealed their friendship over ginger biscuits and lemonade and impressed the 13-year-old princess by vaulting over a tennis net. 

If you would like to send good wishes to the couple on this special day, click here to leave an online message. A selection will be chosen and shown to the Queen and Prince Philip.

Royal Family

The Duchess chose her DVF Zarita gown for the family affair. Kate first wore it for the Royal Variety Performance in 2014 when she was expecting Charlotte, and sported it again for a friend's wedding weeks later. The gown made a stylish return for the Anna Freud Gala dinner earlier this month. It's a classic piece and appears to be a very comfortable choice for Kate at this stage in her pregnancy.

The black dress is fitted through the bodice, waist and thigh, and the piece opens to a sweeping fluted hem. The delicate gown, crafted from sheer lace features a v-back and is fitted with a slim band around the waist that flatters the silhouette.

The shorter version remains on sale at Nordstrom Rack and Matches.

Nordstrom Rack

As previously noted, for those seeking a Repli-Kate for the party season, the Adrianna Pappell Scalloped Lace Gown remains available at Dillard's. It features the same scalloped v-back and floor sweeping hem as Kate's.

Dillard's

The eagle-eyed Kate J from What Kate Wore suggests Kate's coat is the Alexander McQueen Long Textured Coat. From what we can see, I believe this is correct. The $4,450 piece is described as "Crafted in Italy from a soft cashmere, wool and mohair blend, this long textured coat from Alexander McQueen features a wide lapel, a concealed front button placket, two front pockets, an exposed seam detail, long sleeves with turn up cuffs and a straight hem." It's available at FarFetch.

FarFetch

The talking point of Kate's look tonight was not her gown; the Duchess accessorised with a new elegant piece of jewellery on loan from the Queen (with thanks to the lovely Sara).

The Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker was commissioned by the Queen from a set of the "finest cultured pearls presented to her by the Japanese government". Her Majesty's Jewel Vault notes: "The necklace includes four rows of pearls with a central diamond clasp in a curved shape, each side including three rows of diamonds that join at the top and bottom with marquise diamonds. She made her first state visit to Japan in 1975; the choker was in use by at least 1982. The Garrard book posits that it was inspired by the Queen's new daughter-in-law at the time, and she did notably loan the piece to the new Princess of Wales during a state visit from the Netherlands in 1982. It is only occasionally used by the Queen, in whose collection it still remains."

Her Majesty's Jewel Vault

A video from the 1982 banquet (you'll also see the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara sparkling in all its glory).

Kate also wore Princess Diana's Collingwood Pearl earrings - they are fast becoming a staple in her jewellery collection. 

I do so enjoy seeing glimpses of Royal family celebrations and it was wonderful to see the arrival photo tonight. Perhaps, if we're lucky, an official photograph will be released. Seventy years of marriage is quite simply incredible and a love story spanning seven decades! Wishing them a very Happy Anniversary, I hope it is a splendid evening filled with enjoyment and laughter, they deserve it!

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Before we leave you, we have news of a new engagement added to Kate's Calendar. On Wednesday, 29 November, the Duchess of Cambridge will visit Robin Hood Primary School to celebrate their work with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening. During the visit, the Duchess will get a briefing on the RHS nation-wide campaign and hear about the benefits of learning outside from Robin Hood Primary School. Her Royal Highness will then join children in activities in the outdoor learning area and sensory garden, and celebrate the 34,000 schools and groups now engaged in gardening through the campaign. Robin Hood Primary School has developed a whole-school, progressive outdoor learning curriculum with support from the RHS.

We'll see you on Wednesday when William and Kate visit Birmingham! :)