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Introduction.
Queen Elizabeth II was the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and the widow of King George VI. Born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon on August 4, 1900, she spent her childhood in St Paul’s Waldenbury, Hertfordshire. She became Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon when her father inherited his Earldom in 1904. The Bowes-Lyon family is descended from the Royal House of Scotland, with one of their 14th-century ancestors, Sir John Lyon, becoming Thane of Glamis, the home of Macbeth 300 years before. Glamis Castle is the family seat.
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Early Life of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
Lady Elizabeth attended home school. She had mastered French by the time she was ten. Glamis Castle was converted into a hospital when the First World War began, which happened to occur on her 14th birthday. Lady Elizabeth helped with patient welfare even though she was too young to serve as a nurse. Fergus, one of her brothers, died in the Battle of Loos in 1915.
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Marraige and kids.
Lady Elizabeth and her sisters had a close relationship with King George V and Queen Mary’s children. They occasionally hosted members of the Royal Family at Glamis Castle. In 1922, Lady Elizabeth acted as a bridesmaid at Princess Mary’s wedding. In 1923, she announced her engagement to HRH The Duke of York, the King and Queen’s second son, and they married on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey.
Princess Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, at the Strathmores’ London residence on Bruton Street, while Princess Margaret was born at Glamis Castle on August 21, 1930. Princess Margaret passed away on February 9, 2002, one day before her mother.
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Accession.
King George V passed away in 1936. In the same year that King Edward VIII abdicated, his sister became Queen Elizabeth, the first British-born Queen Consort since the Tudor era, and his brother, Albert, Duke of York, was crowned King George VI.
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Activities as Queen.
The King and Queen visited other Commonwealth nations and overseas countries between the coronation and the outbreak of war in September 1939. They made two significant visits in 1938 to France and Canada and the USA. During the war, the Queen refused to evacuate her children to North America or Canada, stating that she would never leave the King. Throughout the war, the Queen and her children shared the dangers and difficulties of the nation. They visited damaged areas after air-raids and toured Britain, visiting hospitals, factories, and troops.
In 1948, the King and Queen celebrated their Silver Wedding, inspiring the nation. Unfortunately, his health prevented him from continuing Commonwealth tours. His last public event was the Festival of Britain in May 1951. In autumn 1951, Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Canada and Australia, before the King’s peaceful death on 6 February 1952 at Sandringham House in Norfolk. His last major public event was the opening of the Festival of Britain.
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Royal Tours.
On June 30, 1923, she made her first public appearance following her wedding at the RAF pageant at Hendon. The Duchess traveled abroad frequently with the Duke after that. They traveled to Belgrade six months after getting married, when they both served as sponsors at the christening of Peter II, the future king of Yugoslavia. After spending time in Kenya, Uganda, and the Sudan, they embarked on a six-month world tour in 1927, during which the Duke inaugurated Canberra as Australia’s new capital and visited Kenya, Uganda, and the Sudan.
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Public Duties.
After the death of King George VI, Queen Mother continued her public duties in the UK and overseas, including over 40 official visits abroad. She was the Patron or President of 350 organizations, Commandant-in-Chief of Army and Air Force Women’s Services, and for Women in the Royal Navy. She was also President of the British Red Cross Society, Commandant-in-Chief of the Nursing Division of the St John Ambulance Brigade, Colonel-in-Chief of many regiments, and Commandant-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Central Flying School.
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Leisure pursuits.
Queen Elizabeth II moved to Clarence House in St James’s Palace in 1952 and purchased the Castle of Mey in 1953. She spent time there annually in August and October. Queen Elizabeth was an expert fisherwoman and a leading owner of steeplechasers, showcasing her love for the countryside and sports.
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Arms and Standards.
The Queen Mother’s heraldic arms consist of a lion rampant azure, armed and langued gules, within a double tressure flory counter-flory, and three bows, strings palewise proper. These arms were used as her standard without any supporters, crowns, or garters, and were impaling quarterly.
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Honors.
On December 14, 1936, the Queen Mother was made a Lady of the Garter. She was made the first Lady of the Thistle ever created at the occasion of her coronation, which was entirely fitting for a monarch of Scottish descent. In addition, the Queen Mother was awarded a variety of orders, decorations, and medals from both domestic and foreign sources.
