When it comes to matters of the heart, it is sometimes in your best interest to reject the advice of your close friends. Ron and Joyce Bond celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary on January 4, making them Britain’s oldest married couple.

“We never meant to be married for 81 years, and we feel extremely blessed to have done this wonderful ambition,” said Joyce, who is now 100 years old.

“It’s such a wonderful sensation!” she remarked. There is no one in command of our partnership; rather, we both offer and receive from the relationship.

The sentiment was shared by Ron, who is 102 years old and said, “Life may be challenging at times, but we work through it together. Additionally, we watch out for one another.”

The pair, who wed in 1941, both claim that it was “love at first sight,” despite the fact that their friends and acquaintances were first displeased with the marriage and predicted that it “wouldn’t last long.”

Joyce, a previous worker at Woolworths, was only 19 years old when the event took place. Ron, who had fought in WWII and worked at a nearby garage after the war, was 21 years old.

Eileen, their daughter, said, “Even after 81 years of marriage, it is clear to everyone who spends even a short amount of time with them how much love and concern they have for one another.”

In recognition of the couple’s 80th wedding anniversary, Queen Elizabeth sent them a congratulatory note last year, in which she expressed her admiration for their incredible accomplishment and best wishes for the future.

“It’s wonderful to learn that you’ll be celebrating your eightieth wedding anniversary on January 4, 2021. That’s a milestone that deserves to be honored.”