Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Queen

▪ 2003

Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon; “Queen Mum” 

      British royal (b. Aug. 4, 1900, London, Eng.—d. March 30, 2002, Windsor, Berkshire, Eng.), in a life that spanned three centuries, was the daughter of a Scottish nobleman, the queen consort of King George VI, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, countess of Snowdon (Margaret, Princess ) (q.v.), and an almost universally beloved symbol of British tradition and fortitude. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the 9th child (of 10) of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis and (from 1904) the 14th earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. On April 26, 1923, after a two-year courtship, she married Prince Albert, duke of York, the second son of King George V. When her shy husband was officially proclaimed King George VI on Dec. 11, 1936, following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, she was thrust unexpectedly into the public eye. She proved to be an able consort, and her personal charm helped to cement public support for the monarchy, which had been badly damaged by the abdication. The new queen's refusal to leave London during World War II and her extensive wartime activities further endeared her to the nation, as did her reported response in September 1940 when Buckingham Palace was damaged in the Blitz: “I'm glad we've been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face.” In 1952 the king died, and their daughter Elizabeth ascended the throne. Thereafter, the widowed Queen Mother served as an unofficial ambassador, traveling extensively until advancing age curtailed her movements. She continued to make public appearances, however, owned a string of thoroughbred racehorses, and survived several surgeries. She celebrated her 100th birthday in 2000 and attended her daughter Margaret's funeral six weeks before her own peaceful death.

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