Deseret News archives: Nov. 20 a great day, and also a bad day, for Queen Elizabeth II

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
Ever have one of those days?
On Nov. 20, 1947, Britain’s future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey. That was the royal wedding for many generations.
Of note, on Nov. 20, 1992, a huge fire seriously damaged Windsor Castle, the favorite weekend home of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
First the wedding.
Deseret News headlines of the day proclaimed, “3,000 thrill at wedding of Elizabeth; England’s future queen bride of Mountbatten” and “Again the Royal House saves British-U.S. unity.” There were additional front page stories about where the pair would honeymoon and a poem written by Britain’s poet laureate.
Less than five years later, the 25-year-old princess became queen, told of the death of her father, King George VI, on Feb. 6, 1952, while staying at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
A couple of anecdotes:
To celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, the queen invited other couples married in 1947 to apply for the 4,000 invitations to her July 15 party that year in the palace gardens.
And earlier this month, a “very rare” 77-year-old slice of the cake served at Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding sold for $2,800 this week, according to auction house Reeman Dansie.
Per the recent report, the cake, which no longer looked edible, survived for almost eight decades since the wedding day on Nov. 20, 1947. It is still neatly packaged in a small box with the silver insignia of a then-Princess Elizabeth stamped on it and an elaborate doily inside.
Phillip died in 2021 at age 99. The queen died in 2022 at age 96.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the 1947 royal wedding:
“Elizabeth celebrating 50-year anniversaries”
“Royal wedding photos of the past”
“Queen observes 50 years of undivorced success”
“Grace & dignity”
“Queen Elizabeth II’s reign: 60 years of milestones”
“Key milestones in Queen Elizabeth II’s life”
“Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has died. She was 96″
A look at strict rules for a royal wedding”
A snub? Queen won’t be at wedding”
Now the fire.
In 1992, Windsor Castle was damaged after a stubborn blaze threatened historic works of art at the royal residence. A private chapel was damaged and at least one person was injured in the fire, which authorities said was confined to a small portion of the sprawling castle undergoing renovation.
Queen Elizabeth was not at Windsor when the fire broke out. Her middle son, Prince Andrew, was, but he had been far from the scene and was not hurt. The queen later came to survey the damage.
Here are some archived stories from the Nov. 20 fire:
“Blaze leaves hall burned-out wreck”
“Blaze damages part of Windsor Castle”
“Queen won’t pay to restore castle, newspaper says”
“Queen douses fire with water and a few laughs”
“A first: Buckingham Palace will open its doors to tourists”
“Papers blame art restorer for castle fire”