Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne
| The Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck 11 September 1862 London, England, UK |
| Died | 23 June 1938 (aged 75) London, England, UK |
| Spouse(s) | Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (m. 1881) |
| Issue | Violet Bowes-Lyon Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone Patrick Bowes-Lyon, 15th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne John Bowes-Lyon Alexander Bowes-Lyon Fergus Bowes-Lyon Rose Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville Michael Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth, Queen of the United Kingdom Sir David Bowes-Lyon |
| Parents |
Charles Cavendish-Bentinck Louisa Burnaby |
Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne GCVO DStJ (née Cavendish-Bentinck; 11 September 1862 – 23 June 1938) was the mother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and maternal grandmother and godmother of Elizabeth II.
She was born in Belgravia, Westminster, the eldest daughter of the Rev. Charles Cavendish-Bentinck (grandson of British Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland) and his wife, Louisa (née Burnaby).
On 16 July 1881, she married Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis, at Petersham, Surrey, and they had ten children. Claude inherited his father's title of Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904, whereupon Cecilia became Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
The Strathmore estates included two grand houses and their surroundings: Glamis Castle and St Paul's Walden Bury. Cecilia was a gregarious and accomplished hostess who played the piano exceptionally well. Her houses were run with meticulous care and a practical approach, and she was responsible for designing the Italian Garden at Glamis. She was deeply religious, a keen gardener and embroiderer, and preferred a quiet family life.
During World War I, Glamis Castle served as a convalescent hospital for the wounded, in which she took an active part until she developed cancer and was forced into invalidity. In October 1921 she underwent a hysterectomy, and by May 1922 was in recovery. In January 1923 she celebrated the engagement of her youngest daughter, Elizabeth, to the King's son, Prince Albert, Duke of York, later George VI. When asked by pressmen for a photograph during the Edward VIII abdication crisis, she reportedly said, "I shouldn't waste a photograph on me."
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