Wigan couple celebrate 65th anniversary with a letter from a second monarch

Betty, 85, and George Jenkins, 87, exchanged vows in 1958 and have lived a happy life together ever since, first in Pemberton and now in Bryn.

The pair first dated when a friend of Betty had come to visit Wigan with her partner, and to avoid her playing gooseberry, George offered to come along.

Originally attending a club, they moved onto Princes Cinema as George, who did not drink at the time was not enjoying the evening.

They watched the 1955 release of Women's Prison starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling and Cleo Moore with Betty saying she remembers the night vividly to this day.

George worked as a coal miner and was an avid cyclist growing up, with Betty working in a cotton factory before finishing her career at Coops. She still attends Knit and Natter sessions at St Peter’s Church.

Having received a letter from the late Queen Elizabeth for their diamond wedding anniversary, the couple have now also been congratulated by King Charles, making them one of few couples in the country to have been recognised by two monarchs.

Betty said: "I'm rather sentimental so I added the picture we received from Charles onto the fireplace next to the one of Elizabeth and I said 'have a talk with your mother'"

The husband and wife had two boys together, one of whom sadly died 12 years ago. They also have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

They say the secret to their happy marriage is to make up whenever they fall out, and not sulk about it which would prolong any disagreements.

Betty said: "Every couple falls out, of course they do, and we’ve had our own issues over the years; but we always make sure to sit down and sort it out.

"I went out for the day with my sisters on the day of our anniversary and we've got family coming round at the weekend. I'm going to make two big hotpots that we can all enjoy. Nothing special but if everyone's here I'm not bothered about anything too flashy."