Queen Elizabeth has made her husband Prince Philip a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
The 91-year-old monarch has bestowed the honour – which is shortened to GCVO – upon her husband as a sweet gesture to mark their 70th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated together on Monday (20.11.17).
A tweet from the official Royal Family account stated: "Her Majesty has appointed His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO).
"Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by The Queen, for services to the Sovereign."
The honour is believed to have been awarded to the 96-year-old royal as a sign of Queen Elizabeth’s thanks for showing her his everlasting support both publicly and privately, over the past seven decades of marriage.
It comes as the latest in a series of honours given to the royal couple in celebration of their anniversary, after a new portrait of the pair was released over the weekend.
The couple posed for a photograph in the the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, where they are framed on either side by portraits painted in 1781 of George III and Queen Charlotte, who were married for 57 years – the longest royal marriage until their own.
In the photograph – which was snapped by Matt Holyoak of the Camera Press, which is also celebrating its 70th year – Queen Elizabeth is wearing a a cream day dress by Angela Kelly, accompanied by a gold, ruby and diamond brooch Prince Philip gave her in 1966.
The Duke of Edinburgh, meanwhile, is wearing a tweed jacket and burgundy tie.
And that’s not all, as last week, the Royal Collection Trust announced they would be commemorating the occasion with a series of red and gold commemorative glassware and china, ranging from a Roundel Decoration for £25 and a Loving Cup for £195.
Writing on their website, they shared: "To celebrate the 70th Wedding Anniversary on 20th November 2017 of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Buckingham Palace has commissioned this exclusive commemorative range.
"The design shows an entwined monogram of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, inspired by the elaborate gilded carving of the thrones in the Throne Room, Buckingham Palace, whilst the double knot is a feature of the Garter Throne Room at Windsor Castle."
Queen Elizabeth gives Prince Philip new honour
