The Remarkable Story Of Queen Elizabeth's Wedding Cake

After more than 70 years on the throne and at the age of 96, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed peacefully in her sleep, per the BBC, on September 8. And while the world mourns her passing, many are also paying tribute to her incredible life and the unique role she played in Britain's history.

Queen Elizabeth II was the U.K.'s longest-reigning monarch, says AP News, and per the line of succession, she could be the last-reigning queen those alive today will ever know. The Queen had not anticipated that she'd ascend the throne so young, but when her father died unexpectedly and tragically, she rose to the challenge. She ruled as the monarch during times of war, peace, social unrest, recession, and a global pandemic with grace with husband Prince Philip by her side until his death on April 9, 2021. 

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip met when they were young, got engaged in July 1947, and married just four months later (per NBC News). While most often the dress is the major talking point for any royal wedding, for Elizabeth and Philip, the real show-stopper at their royal wedding was the cake.

When then Princess Elizabeth Windsor married Philip Mountbatten in November 1947, the country was still reeling from World War II. The royal wedding was a joyous occasion that gave the nation a much-needed respite from rebuilding after the losses of the war, per House and Garden UK. Their magnificent wedding cake was 9 feet tall and weighed 500 pounds, according to Le Cordon Bleu, and was the brainchild of a Mr. Frederick Schur, the chief confectioner at McVitie & Price.

The cake was intricately decorated and two of the tiers actually depicted scenes from both Philip and Elizabeth's lives. Due to ongoing rationing in the U.K., the ingredients for the cake were unavailable in Britain. But in a moment of global cooperation and generosity, the ingredients for the enormous fruitcake were flown in from Australia and South Africa, notes House and Garden UK. Included in that effort came donations from the children in the Australian Girl Guides. And to give their thanks, the royal newlyweds sent a tier back to them to enjoy. 

The cake itself yielded 2,000 slices for wedding guests and hundreds more that were sent to various charitable organizations. The royal wedding cake was a hit – Le Cordon Bleu notes that Elizabeth even wrote personally to McVitie & Price after the wedding to thank them for their efforts. Now that's a sweet story!