The couple had jokingly invited the Queen to their wedding. Never in their wildest dreams did they think she would arrive as a Guest of Honor.
It’s not every day that royalty graces an ordinary wedding ceremony. In 2012, a Prestwich-based couple, Frances and John Canning, were stunned when Queen Elizabeth II made their big day extra special by attending their wedding. The late royal, who typically only accepted invites from family or prestigious dignitaries, not only showed up for the wedding but also had a friendly chat with the couple.
It all started when Frances and John Canning were gearing up for preparations for their wedding day. The couple was all set to book a venue and after a lot of hassles, they had zeroed in on the Manchester Town Hall. Shortly after booking the hall, the couple received a call from the venue staff to inform them that they would be sharing the venue with "an important VIP." After learning that the "important VIP" would be none other than Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the couple wrote a light-hearted letter to Buckingham Palace, inviting her to join their party.
Their letter was well-received by the Buckingham Palace and the couple got a reply, thanking them for the kind invite. The couple, glad to receive a response from Buckingham Palace, thought that was the end of it. "That made my day because I thought 'She's read it.' I just thought that was the end of the matter," said John, per BBC News.
The real surprise came for Frances and John when they were told by the venue authorities to wait in the corridor for a few minutes and were informed that the Queen had accepted their invitation and taken a special detour to meet them.
On their special day, the newlyweds received a gift they would remember for life: a greeting from Queen Elizabeth and her husband, the late Prince Philip. The couple also had the opportunity to click photos together.
Delighted by the Queen's presence, Frances said, "We never dreamt we would be able to meet her." She added, "When we had our ceremony, the staff asked us to wait for a moment in the corridor and just a few minutes later, the Queen arrived. She knew both our names and apparently we had been specially added to her rota," as per My London. The couple also shared that they had a pleasant time talking to Prince Philip, who was also present to congratulate the duo on their special day. John said, "Prince Philip was asking where in Italy we were going for our honeymoon. They had clearly been briefed about what we were doing.”
Meanwhile, the guests at the ceremony were in total shock. One of the guests said, "We didn’t know where to look. All of a sudden the Queen and Prince Philip were there in front of us. I was so surprised I knocked something over — she looked at me and asked if I was okay."
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