Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park.
November 20, 2017, marked the 70th anniversary of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II, and Philip Mountbatten. The royal family announced the engagement in early July 1947.
In response, President Harry S. Truman had the Department of State send the following congratulatory telegrams (found in the RG 59 Central Decimal Files, NAID 302021).
The U.S. embassy in London sent a brief report about the engagement. In it, the embassy reported rumors that Princess Elizabeth threatened to abdicate if her marriage to Mountbatten did not receive royal approval.
With the expectation of the receipt of a governmental invitation to the upcoming royal wedding, the Department of State recommended, and President Truman approved, naming U.S. ambassador to Great Britain Lewis Douglas to represent the U.S. at the ceremony.
After the November 20 wedding, the U.S. embassy sent the following report, which included commentary on the secure position of the royal family in England, especially as compared to some other European royalty.
