Queen hosts a very select do for 70th anniversary

AS INVITATIONS begin to drop on doormats ahead of the Christmas party season, there is one ‘stiffie’ that only a very select few can hope to receive.

I can disclose that the Queen and Prince Philip are hosting a dinner party at Windsor Castle next month to celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary.

Only their closest friends and family members will be invited to the event, which will be held around November 20, when the couple reach the 70th anniversary of their marriage.

The party will be the only celebration of the milestone occasion, which no members of the Royal Family have ever previously reached.

There will be no public festivities, in contrast to their silver, golden and diamond anniversaries, which were marked with national services of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

A close friend of Her Majesty tells me: ‘They [the Queen and Prince Philip, pictured] feel they can’t top the golden and diamond wedding anniversaries and don’t particularly want to. They also don’t want to be reminded of the many missing faces, as over the past 12 months the Queen has lost two life-long friends, Elizabeth Longman and her cousin Margaret Rhodes, as well as Prince Philip’s cousin Countess Mountbatten. ‘The Duke was knocked sideways by the loss of Brian McGrath (his former Private Secretary, who died last year aged 90) and one of his closest female friends, Anne Griffiths (the librarian, archivist and keeper of the royal secrets, who died in March aged 84).’ Their milestone will, of course, be marked by the release of a host of commemorative souvenirs. The world record for the longest royal marriage is held by Japan’s Prince Mikasa, who died last year at the age of 100. He was married for 75 years to Yuriko, Princess Mikasa, who is 94. The Queen, 91, and Philip, 96, still have time to beat them. A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed that there would be no formal public celebrations held, but declined to comment on the ‘private’ event.