Royal weddings: nine of the longest-lasting royal marriages

<h2>MARRIED 20+ YEARS</h2> <h3>Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan</h3> <p>THEN: Crown Prince Naruhito's parents Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are seen here joining the newlyweds for an official portrait after the heir to the throne's wedding to Masako Owada at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on June 9, 1993. Harvard graduate Masako, who was only the second commoner to marry into Japan’s royal family, met husband Crown Prince Naruhito during her time at the University of Tokyo.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: For more than a decade, the Crown Princess wasn't seen at major royal functions because she was diagnosed with stress-induced "adjustment disorder" in 2004. After revealing she was "slowly but steadily" recovering in 2015, the Crown Princess began a return to the public eye. Here the Crown Prince and Crown Princess accompany their only child, Princess Aiko, to her junior high graduation ceremony in Tokyo in March 2017.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; AFP</p>
<h2>King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan</h2> <p>THEN: The eldest son of Jordan's King Hussein tied the knot with 28-year-old Rania Yassin at the Royal Palace in Amman on June 10, 1993. The bride's wedding gown, featuring short sleeves and gold embroidery, was designed by Bruce Oldfield.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: The Prince ascended the throne in 1999, and the couple became the new King and Queen of Jordan. The royals have four children: Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Salma, Princess Iman and Prince Hashem. Here the couple are seen attending the Great Arab Revolt centennial at Al Rayah parade ground in the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman in June 2016.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<h2>Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence</h2> <p>THEN: Queen Elizabeth's only daughter Princess Anne is seen here in her car with new husband Sir Timothy Laurence after their Dec. 12, 1992 wedding at Crathie Church near Balmoral in Scotland. Sir Timothy, who met Princess Anne when he served as Equerry to the Queen from 1986 to 1989, is the Princess Royal's second husband; she was married to Captain Mark Phillips, father of her children Peter and Zara Phillips, from 1973 to 1992.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: <strong><a href="/tags/0/princess-anne/">Princess Anne</a></strong> and Sir Timothy, who did not receive a title upon marriage but was knighted by the Queen in 2011, split their time between their country estate Gatcombe Park and London residence at St James's Palace. While Anne has a host of royal duties, her husband does not carry out engagements alone, instead offering his wife support on select occasions.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<h2>MARRIED 30+ YEARS</h2> <h3>Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg</h3> <p>THEN: Henri of Luxembourg is seen waving to the crowd with his new wife Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista at his side as they leave the ceremony following their vows in Luxembourg City's Notre Dame Cathedral on Feb. 14, 1981. Henri and his Cuban bride met in college, where they both studied political science.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: The couple's legacy includes five children – Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Prince Felix, Prince Louis, their only daughter Princess Alexandra and their youngest child Prince Sebastian. The royal couple, seen here attending Sebastian's 2017 graduation from Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in England, also have three grandchildren.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<h2>MARRIED 40+ YEARS</h2> <h3>King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden</h3> <p>THEN: Three years after he became Sweden's monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf wed Silvia Sommerlath, the daughter of a Brazilian-born mom and German father, at Stockholm Cathedral on June 19, 1976. Silvia, a trained interpreter who worked for the Argentine consulate and the Olympics, wore the royal heirloom Cameo tiara for her big day.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Keystone</p>
<p>NOW: The King and Queen went on to have three children – Crown <strong><a href="/tags/0/princess-victoria/">Princess Victoria</a></strong>, Princess Madeleine and Prince Carl-Philip – and six grandkids. "Forty years have passed very quickly," said Queen Silvia as the couple celebrated four decades of marriage. "It's clear that a lot has happened in our family... It seems a lot of fun, like it happened only yesterday."</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Patrick van Katwijk</p>
<h2>King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway</h2> <p>THEN: Then Norway's heir to the throne, Harald tied the knot with 31-year-old Sonja Haraldsen at Oslo Cathedral on Aug. 28, 1968. Sonja, a commoner who studied French, English and art history at the University of Oslo, had been dating the Norwegian royal for nine years before their walk down the aisle.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: The royal couple has been together through happy times as well as tragedy. Harald and Sonja were married for less than two years when she lost her first child, a baby boy, halfway through her pregnancy, having only recently announced her expectant status to the Norwegian public. "Fortunately I was able to have more healthy children," said the Queen in a 2016 interview. Sonja gave birth to daughter Princess Martha Louise in 1971 and welcomed Crown Prince Haakon in 1973. Here, the long-lasting couple, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2018, pose for an official portrait in 2016.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<h2>Ex-King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece</h2> <p>THEN: On Sept. 18, 1964, the same year he became monarch, King Constantine II of Greece, 24, married 18-year-old Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Anne-Marie is the younger sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: The King and his wife were exiled in 1967, and the Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973. The longtime royal pair, who have five children – Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Alexia, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos – settled in London, but returned to Greece in 2013.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<h2>Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan</h2> <p>THEN: Crown Prince Akihito of Japan wed Michiko Shoda at Tokyo Imperial Palace on April 10, 1959. The 24-year-old bride, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, was the first commoner to marry into the Japanese royal family. Here the newlyweds are seen riding in an open-top carriage through the streets of the city on their wedding day.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: Akihito became Emperor in 1989, and the royal couple's son, Crown Prince Naruhito, the eldest of their three children, became heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. After a 30-year reign, the Emperor, seen here gently guiding his longtime love during a visit to Vietnam in March 2017, is expected to abdicate in 2019.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<h2>MARRIED 70+ YEARS</h2> <h3>Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip</h3> <p>THEN: The pretty young heiress to the throne and dashing war hero Prince Philip of Greece were the William and Kate of their day, with every stage of their courtship eagerly followed by an adoring public. Here, the future monarch and Prince Philip are seen on their wedding day at Westminster Abbey on Nov. 20, 1947.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
<p>NOW: In 2017, the enduring royal couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Their unbreakable bond has withstood life's tempests, not least the competing demands of matrimony and monarchy. Nothing has ever come between them as they balanced raising four children – Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – with Her Majesty's role as sovereign.</p> <p>Photo: &copy; Getty Images</p>
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