| Notes |
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was an English monarch. She reigned as the Queen of Great Britain, Queen of Ireland, Queen of the British Dominions, and the Empress of India from 1936 until the death of her husband, George VI, in 1952, at which point she became known as ?Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.?
Born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon in 1900, during the last reigning months of Queen Victoria, she was the ninth child (and fourth daughter) of the 14th Earl of Strathmore, a descendant of the Royal House of Scotland. She grew up at her parents' country estate in Hertfordshire, north of London, where she was educated at home. Although it was reported by biographers that she preferred James Stuart, the son of a Scottish earl, she married the Duke of York in 1923 after a three-year engagement and gained the title ?Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York.? The Duke of York was the second son of the reigning monarch at that time, George V, and his wife, Queen Consort Mary. In 1926, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon gave birth to Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, and four years later, she gave birth to her second and last child, Margaret Rose.
The Duke of York, as the second child of George V, was not destined to become king; however, when George V died in January 1936 and Prince Edward ascended to the throne as King Edward VIII, only to abdicate eleven months later, the Duke of York was crowned George VI, King of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions, as well as the Emperor of India. His wife, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, was crowned Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions, and also Empress of India.
When King Edward VIII abdicated so he could marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, the monarchy was scandalized. As consequence, the new Queen Elizabeth set about molding her husband into a viable and acceptable monarch for the Great British Empire. She worked diligently and aided the king to overcome his speech impediment, at times serving as a buffer for his notoriously fierce temper. Sharply opinionated, she also worked to discredit the king's older brother and his new wife, denying Wallis Simpson the title of ?Her Royal Highness (H.R.H.).? With the coming of World War II, Queen Elizabeth supported her people during the London Blitz of 1940, often visiting the commonwealth immediately after a severe bombing raid. The Royal Family became a symbol of Britain's wartime spirit. Unbeknownst (or ignored) by the majority of her subjects was that fact that she believed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement towards German Chancellor Adolph Hitler was a better course of action than war; she distrusted the motives of Winston Churchill, loathing the man, hoping to bar him from government affairs.
When her husband died suddenly in 1952, she was given the title of ?Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother? in order to distinguish herself from her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, who would ascend to the throne in the same year; however, most of her subjects preferred to affectionately call her the ?Queen Mum? or the ?Queen Mother.? In her later years, the 1970s and 1980s, she became the standard for all royal behavior, and gave advice to both Diana Spencer (who married her grandson, Prince Charles) and Sarah Ferguson (who married her other grandson, Prince Andrew) on how to behave in public. During the turbulent years when both her grandsons divorced their wives, she was considered one of the Royal Family's most stable and influential assets with the public. She was noted for her devoted public service and her love for her people, which was amply returned by her subjects. In some public opinion polls, she was favored over her daughter to be monarch, a position that she would not and simply could not hold. She died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 101, just two months after the death of her second daughter, Princess Margaret Rose, Countess of Snowdon. She was laid to rest beside her husband, King George VI, at Windsor Castle.
From Find a Grave
Edited by descendants
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- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6300546/elizabeth-angela_marguerite-windsor
- British Monarch. She reigned as Queen Consort of the United Kingdom from 1936 until the death of her husband, King George VI in 1952, after which she was known as "The Queen Mother". Born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1900, during the last months of the reign of Queen Victoria, she was the ninth child (fourth daughter) of the 14th Earl of Strathmore, a descendent of the Royal House of Scotland. She grew up at her parent's country estate in Hertfordshire, north of London, where she was educated at home. Although it was reported by biographers that she preferred James Stuart, the son of a Scottish earl, she married the Duke of York in 1923 after a three-year engagement. He was the second son of the reigning King, George V, and his wife, Queen Consort Mary. In 1926 she gave birth to Elizabeth, and four years later to her second and last child, Margaret. The Duke of York, as the second child, was not to become King, a role that suited her well. However, when King George V died in January 1936, and Prince Edward became King Edward VIII, only to abdicate his throne eleven months later; the Duke of York became King George VI and Lady Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth. The British monarchy had been damaged by the debacle and scandal over the abdication of King Edward VIII so that he could marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, and the new Queen Elizabeth set about making her husband into a viable and acceptable monarch. She worked diligently to have the King overcome his speech impediment, and served as a buffer for his notoriously fierce temper. Sharply opinionated, she also worked diligently to discredit the king's older brother and his new wife, working to deny her the title of "Your Royal Highness." With the coming of World War II, Queen Elizabeth worked diligently to support her people during the London Blitz of 1940, often visiting the people immediately after a severe bombing raid. The Royal Family became a symbol of Britain's wartime spirit. Unknown to most of her subjects (or ignored by many of them) was that she believed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement to German Chancellor Adolph Hitler was the correct course of action, that she distrusted the motives of Winston Churchill and loathed the man, hoping to keep him out of the government. When her husband died suddenly in 1952, she was given the title of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, however, most of her subjects preferred to call her affectionately "The Queen Mum". In her later years, in the 1970s and 1980s, she became the standard for all royal behavior, and gave advice to both Diana Spencer (who married her grandson, Prince Charles) and Sarah Ferguson (who married her other grandson, Prince Andrew) on how to act when in public. During the turbulent years when both grandsons divorced their wives, she was considered one of the Royal Family's most stable and influential assets with the public. She was noted for her devoted public service and her love for her people, which was amply returned by her subjects. In some public opinion polls, she was favored over her daughter to be monarch, a position she would not and could not hold. She died peacefully in her sleep at age 101, just two months after the death of her second daughter, Princess Margaret. She was laid to rest beside her husband, King George VI, at Windsor Castle.
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1900 - 2002 (101 years)