70 years of marriage and platinum pair are still smooching
A couple celebrating their platinum wedding anniversary in the same year as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh said the secret to their happy marriage was still sharing a kiss.
June and Geoff Bancroft, from Moulton, Cheshire, marked 70 years of marriage in March, having wed in 1947 - just like the Queen and Philip.
Mr Bancroft, 88, said of his wife: "She's my queen. She's a one-off. She's kept me under control."
He told the Press Association: "We're still kissing. My wedding day was the happiest day of my life."
Mr Bancroft, who became a locally well-known country and western singer and performed under the stage name Hank Bean in pubs in Manchester and Cheshire, met his wife because his grandparents lived in her home village.
They married at a register office in Altrincham on March 22, 1947, two years after the Second World War ended, when widespread rationing was still in place, and eight months before the royal wedding.
Mrs Bancroft, 87, recalled:
Mr Bancroft's outfit was a demob suit which belonged to his brother and best man John - given to him after leaving the RAF.
Mrs Bancroft said the romance was still there 70 years on.
The couple, who have five children, 15 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, celebrated their milestone anniversary with a family party in a local pub.
As newlyweds, they lived with Mrs Bancroft's parents for the first two years of their marriage, before being given a council house, and then building their own family home in Manchester.
They set up their own successful businesses, including a garage, a sewing factory and a launderette, with Mrs Bancroft working alongside her husband when her children had grown up.
Princess Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20 1947, in front of 2,000 guests in Westminster Abbey.
The princess herself received 200 extra clothing coupons from the Government towards her wedding trousseau as was the custom for brides.
The 21-year-old future queen's bridal gown was designed by royal couturier Norman Hartnell and featured a fitted bodice and a heart-shaped neckline with scalloped edge.
It was decorated with 10,000 seed pearls, glittering crystals and featured an intricate 13ft star-patterned train.
Mrs Bancroft recalled how her family was one of the only ones in their village with a television in 1947, and neighbours joined them to watch footage of Princess Elizabeth's wedding.
"We all watched the Queen on our black and white telly," she said. "We've always admired her."
The Bancrofts, who revealed the secrets of a happy marriage to mark The London Mint Office's release of a platinum anniversary coin, received a congratulatory card from the Queen to mark their 70th anniversary.
Mr Bancroft said he was honoured to be sharing the anniversary year with the monarch, adding: "After my wife, she's the best."