PRINCESS Elizabeth’s engagement to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was less than two weeks old when the couple ventured to Glasgow during the royal family’s Scottish itinerary in July, 1947. The princess had turned 21 a few months earlier; he was 26. The wedding took place on November 20 that year, at Westminster Abbey.
On July 21, some 3,000 people waited at Central Station and, in pouring rain, in the adjacent streets for a glimpse of the Princess and her fiancé, the King, the Queen and Princess Margaret. In Jamaica Street, the crowd surged forward in spite of a strong police cordon, leaving barely enough room for the royal car to pass. The young couple smiled their acknowledgement of the numerous cries of “congratulations” and “good luck to you both”.
At Crookston Homes for Aged Residents the visitors chatted with residents and staff. Sitting in a bath-chair in one of the day wards was Mrs Mary Foggo, who congratulated the princess on her engagement and said how much she was looking forward to reading about the wedding.
The Duke of Edinburgh turned 99 two days ago. To mark the occasion, an official photograph was released of him and the Queen; it was the first public image of him since he was glimpsed leaving hospital on Christmas Eve,
He has made many visits to Glasgow over the decades. He is seen here in March 1960, at the Possil factory of Fibreglass Ltd. He met old shipmate of his – they had served on the cruiser, HMS Kent, in 1940 – and he asked the factory’s shop stewards if they had asked management to launch a profit-sharing scheme, like that run by ICI. He laughed and told them: “It’s harder to stay a trade union official than to become an officer in the Army”.
Read more: Herald Diary
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