When I was about six years old, I began dwelling on the British Royalty. I had paper dolls and coloring books and two aunts who gladly bought them. They are all long gone, but memories remain.

I used hundreds of Crayolas on the royalty. My aunts told me the story of When Elizabeth’s grandfather George V died in 1936, his eldest son (Elizabeth’s uncle) became King Edward VIII. Edward, however, was in love with American divorcée Wallis Simpson, and had to choose between the crown and his heart. In the end, Edward chose Simpson and abdicated the crown.

In February 1952, King George VI of England died of lung cancer, leaving his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, to rule in his stead. Elizabeth was just 25 years old when she became Queen Elizabeth II.

I amassed Elizabeth II coloring books, paper dolls and books to celebrate. None exist. They are long gone.

She was different from our first ladies. She rode horses, served in World War II and participated in life as Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. She wore matching clothes, hats and shoes.

His belated husband was Britain’s oldest and longest-serving royal spouse in 10 centuries. He gave an estimated 5,000 speeches, according to Buckingham Palace, and carried out about 32,000 solo engagements between 1952 and 2017.

What I noted most when they were photographed was the look of love in his eyes and hers in return.

Elizabeth first met Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece, when she was only 13. She was smitten with him from the start. The two kept in touch over the years and eventually fell in love.

He was married to the queen for more than 70 years and was a steady presence behind her at thousands of public events, becoming as familiar to the British people as the queen, if not always as beloved.

They made an unusual pair. Elizabeth was quiet and reserved while Philip was boisterous and outspoken. Her father, King George VI, was hesitant about the match because, while Mountbatten had ties to both the Danish and Greek royal families, he didn’t possess great wealth and was considered by some to have a rough personality.

Elizabeth, nicknamed Lilibet, got to enjoy the first decade of her life with all the privileges of being a royal without the pressures of being the heir apparent.

In 1945, Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service to help in the war effort. She trained side-by-side with other British women to be an expert driver and mechanic. While her volunteer work only lasted a few months, it offered Elizabeth a glimpse into a different, non-royal world. She had another vivid experience outside of the monarchy when she and Margaret were allowed to mingle anonymously among the citizenry on Victory in Europe Day.

Elizabeth married her distant cousin Philip Mountbatten (a surname adopted from his mother’s side) on Nov. 20, 1947, at London’s Westminster Abbey.

Today, the small girl who used up her crayons on long-gone coloring books and paper dolls mourns the dashing young man who deeply loved and married the Queen. I celebrate the 70 years they were wed and wish the same for every young couple tying the knot.