After the death of her husband, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth's mother earned the unofficial
title of Queen Mother and maintained her positive public image for fifty more years before passing
away at 101. Here's the untold truth of her amazing life.
King George VI was not first in line to the British throne. His brother, Edward VIII,
assumed the throne in 1936, but later abdicated so he could marry his lover, Wallis Simpson
— an American who'd already been married and divorced. As noted by Dawn, the Queen
Mother — at the time known as Elizabeth, the Duchess of York — became queen when
her husband became king in the aftermath of Edward's abdication. She reportedly never
forgave her brother-in-law for the position he had put them in.
So why did Edward have to abdicate? By decree of royal tradition, he was not allowed to
marry Simpson, as she could never become queen due to her divorcee status. As such, he said
goodbye to his responsibilities as king and forced them upon his brother. The Queen Mother
maintained the perspective throughout her life that her husband was not cut out for
the job. She even blamed Edward for her husband's death, as he passed away when he was just
56. Ingrid Seward, the Queen Mother's biographer, noted:
"The queen's attitude to [Edward and Wallis] bordered on a vendetta."
King George VI took the throne in 1936, and World War II broke out shortly thereafter.
Despite the dangers that London was facing, the Queen Mother and her husband stayed put,
and they were responsible for boosting the nation's morale during the circumstances.
As noted by Dawn, the Queen Mother became, quote, "a focal point for British wartime
defiance of the Nazis," and while doing so, cast the royal family in a new light.
The violence and dangers in London got so bad during the war that the king and his family
were told to leave, but the Queen Mother didn't budge. As noted by The Irish Times, she said:
"The children will not leave unless I do. I shall not leave unless their father does;
and the king will not leave the country in any circumstances."
Buckingham Palace was attacked nine times by German bombs, but the Queen Mother used
the experience to relate to the realities that people all across the city were facing.
She said:
"I'm glad we've been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face."
The role of king was forced on King George VI, so naturally the Queen Mother had a difficult
relationship with her role as a royal as well. She was the Duchess of York and was used to
royal expectations, but being forced into the spotlight with her husband came at a price.
As noted by Express, the Queen Mother believed that Edward VIII's wife, Wallis Simpson, quote,
"ruin[ed] their lives." According to historian Lucy Moore, the Queen Mother was so upset
over the circumstances that she stopped Simpson from being given an HRH title, even though
she was married to Edward. Tanya Gold, a royal writer, told The Guardian:
"[The Queen Mother] hated Simpson, even though she handed her the crown."
Despite the precarious relationship she had with her role, the Queen Mother maintained
that it was her, quote, "God-given obligation" to serve the British Commonwealth. She was
even quoted as telling her daughter, who would one day become Queen Elizabeth II:
"Work, darling, is the rent you pay for life."
She called the duty a, quote, "intolerable honor," which pretty much sums it up.
Kate Middleton got a ton of attention when she got engaged to Prince William, partially
because she was a "commoner." She didn't come from British nobility and didn't have a title,
but rather was a pretty ordinary girl from an — albeit wealthy — ordinary family.
But Middleton has not been the only commoner to marry into the British royal family. As
noted by The Irish Times, the Queen Mother was technically born a commoner, and while
her early life was very lavish, she was not bestowed a title until later in life.
The Queen Mother's full name at birth was Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon. She
was one of 10 children, the second youngest, and received her first nobility title at 4
years old. Her father, Claude Bowes-Lyon, became the 14th Earl of Strathmore when Elizabeth
was in her young childhood years, so she became Lady Elizabeth from there on out. Her family
had two properties — one in London and the Glamis Castle, located near Dundee — and
she spent her childhood between the two locations. So yes, while she was technically born a commoner,
her family had a castle.
Society in England was a very important aspect of life, especially for a young lady, and
when the Queen Mother — then still known as Lady Elizabeth — was launched into society
in 1919, she had a number of suitors waiting for her. One such suitor was Prince Albert,
the Duke of York, who would later become King George VI.
While the two had known each other since they were young children, Lady Elizabeth was "reluctant"
to entertain his courtship. She reportedly wanted to maintain her sense of freedom, and
did not want to conform to the limitations of royal life. Prince Albert proposed three
times before Lady Elizabeth said yes, and when she finally did, the engagement was widely
celebrated. Politician Henry Channon said of the union:
"There is not a man in England today that doesn't envy him."
The couple got married a year after in a large ceremony at Westminster Abbey, with over 3,000
people in attendance.
There were a number of reasons why the Queen Mother was hesitant about her husband becoming
king, but despite the difficulties they faced, the two had a happy marriage. As noted by
The Irish Times, George was a timid and shy man — not the type that you'd imagine being
king of a commonwealth with one of the most storied royal families in history.
As a result of his shy personality, King George VI developed a very noticeable stammer.
"I'm sure that we are all [...] happy to feel [...]"
Cue the Queen Mother, because she was ready to help her husband through the challenge.
It was all due to the Queen Mother that a speech therapist was employed to help King
George VI work through his stammer. She stood by his side during public events, and was
extremely supportive during all of his duties as king; all in all, she stepped up and took
the reins when her husband needed help.
The world seems to come to a standstill when a member of the royal family dies, and that
was the case when King George VI passed away in 1952. He had experienced health complications
in the past, and, as noted by The New York Times, he "died peacefully in his sleep."
His daughter Princess Elizabeth was made queen shortly thereafter, and the Queen Mother was
quickly forced into a new role: the mother of the monarch. She would go on to live another
50 years without her husband.
The Queen Mother served in her post as the mother of the monarch for the remainder of
her life. Interestingly, it was the royal role that she fulfilled for the longest period
of time. Despite the tragedy that had befallen her, the Queen Mother continued on with the
job, which The New York Times describes she "fulfilled with grace, carrying out a grueling
schedule of public engagements well into her 90s and never losing her common touch." She
was lovingly referred to as the "Queen Mum" by the public, and she always cared for the
people she served.
The royal lifestyle looks envious at times, but when the Queen Mother died at 101 years
old, she had racked up more than $9 million in debt. As noted by the Daily Mail, she was
the most expensive royal member to maintain since Marie Antoinette, and you won't believe
just how lavishly she lived.
The Queen Mother insisted on the finest jewelry, clothing, and "vintage champagne." She even
had 12 racehorses in her own stable. As such, she left a huge amount of debt for her family
to take care of. Queen Elizabeth gave her mother more than $2.5 million a year to maintain
her lifestyle, and Prince Charles even contributed to his grandmother's purse.
The Queen Mother had overdrafts that the royal bankers were extremely anxious about, and
despite the fact she was budgeted about $900,000 a year, she apparently spent more than eight
times that amount of money. She reportedly had the, quote, "haziest notion" as to how
much life actually cost.
While it may only be common knowledge to those in the United Kingdom, or those who are very
big fans of the royals, it's long been rumored that Prince Charles has had a difficult relationship
with his mother, Queen Elizabeth. So when the 2017 documentary series "The Royal House
of Windsor" was released and Charles spoke about the, quote, "distant" relationship he
has with his mother, it added even more fuel to the fire. Of course, it didn't help that
Charles was incredibly close to the Queen Mother during her life, with some saying that
their close bond was detrimental to his relationship with his mother.
Charles said that the Queen Mother, quote, "meant everything" to him and that she was
"quite simply the most magical grandmother you could possibly have." He shared this sentiment
in 2002 when he spoke at her funeral:
"For me, she meant everything. And I had dreaded, dreaded, this moment, along with, I know,
countless others. Somehow I never thought it would come. She seemed gloriously unstoppable
and, since I was a child, I adored her."
Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, had a very tumultuous time in the royal family. Her marriage
to Prince Charles was nothing short of a nightmare, and the tension she experienced extended to
other royal family members as well. The Queen Mother was one of them, and as noted by Express,
the storied monarch saw Diana as "another Mrs. Simpson," referring to the woman that
her brother-in-law, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne for — a sore spot for the Queen
Mother.
The Queen Mother reportedly felt as though Princess Diana had the ability to, quote,
"pull the monarchy down" and presumably worried that she would not dedicate herself to the
duties of being royal. The Queen Mother, after all, put duty and "traditional Windsor values"
at the forefront of everything she did. Notably, Piers Brendon, a historian, told Express that
the Queen Mother was a huge supporter of Charles.
Diana, on the other hand, was reportedly very scared of the monarch. Jennie Bond, a royal
correspondent for the BBC, said:
"I remember Diana told me that she found the Queen Mother intimidating."
The Queen Mother was dealt a significant blow when her husband, King George VI, passed away.
She endured yet another hardship when her daughter, Princess Margaret, died in 2002.
The Queen Mother was 101 when her daughter died, and although she was very late in years,
she made a point of attending her daughter's funeral.
She showed up in a wheelchair and sat through the entire ceremony. To make matters worse
for her, she had recently been treated for a chest infection. Shortly thereafter, she
had suffered a bad fall. What's worse, Margaret's funeral service took place on the 50th anniversary
of King George's burial.
It really seemed like the Queen Mother was going to live forever, but in March 2002,
she died at 101 years of age. In her wake, Great Britain held 10 days of national mourning.
The Queen Mother died in her sleep, and although she had lived a very long life, the nation
of Great Britain grieved the loss.
As noted by The Washington Post at the time of her death, people lined the gate of Buckingham
Palace, Clarence House, and Windsor Castle with flowers in her honor. The State Bell,
located in St. Paul's Cathedral, rang for an hour to commemorate her life, and members
of the public began signing "condolence books" in her memory.
After her death, the pomp of royal funerals was in full effect. The Queen Mother remained
in state from April 6 until April 9. After this, a royal funeral was held at Westminster
Abbey, and her body was then taken to the royal vault at Windsor. Her coffin was placed
next to her husband's. She was, without question, a staple of British life, and her death marked
the end of an era.
The Brits are known for their "stiff upper lip" approach to all things emotional, but
in the wake of her mother's passing, Queen Elizabeth shared some very moving words, addressing
the public via a television broadcast. Dressed in all black, she thanked them for their unwavering
support.
"Ever since my beloved mother died over a week ago I have been deeply moved by the outpouring
of affection which has accompanied her death."
The queen then said that she and her family had found, quote, "great comfort" in the support
and kindness that they had received in the wake of the Queen Mother's death, and while
it was a period of mourning for the nation, she was blessed to have spent so much time
with the monarch. She added:
"She had an infectious zest for living, and this remained with her until the very end."
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