Elizabeth the Queen Mother
| Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon | |
|---|---|
| The Queen Mother | |
Portrait by Richard Stone, 1986
|
|
|
Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions |
|
| Tenure | 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952 |
| Coronation | 12 May 1937 |
| Empress consort of India | |
| Tenure | 11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947 |
| Born | Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon 4 August 1900 Hitchin or London, England |
| Died | 30 March 2002 (aged 101) Royal Lodge, Windsor, Berkshire |
| Burial | 9 April 2002 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle |
| Spouse | George VI (m. 1923; d. 1952) |
| Issue |
Elizabeth II Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon |
| House | Windsor (by marriage) |
| Father | Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne |
| Mother | Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck |
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was the wife of King George VI and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. She was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from her husband's accession in 1936 until his death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter. She was the last Empress of India.
Born into a family of British nobility, she came to prominence in 1923 when she married the Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. The couple and their daughters embodied traditional ideas of family and public service. She undertook a variety of public engagements and became known for her consistently cheerful countenance.
In 1936, her husband unexpectedly became king when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth then became queen. She accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and North America before the start of the Second World War. During the war, her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. In recognition of her role as an asset to British interests, Adolf Hitler described her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe". After the war, her husband's health deteriorated and she was widowed at the age of 51. Her elder daughter, aged 25, became the new queen.
From the death of Queen Mary in 1953 Elizabeth was viewed as the matriarch of the British royal family. In her later years, she was a consistently popular member of the family, even when other members were suffering from low levels of public approval. She continued an active public life until just a few months before her death at the age of 101, seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter, Princess Margaret.
...
Wikipedia