HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002)

[JR76]

There was a State Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to France in 1938. This had nearly had to be cancelled. Elizabeth's mother, Cecilia, Countess of Strathmore died on June 23rd. Why was there no Court mourning?

There was a mourning period, but they decided to go ahead with the State Visit, after a three week delay anyway because of the importance of Anglo-French relations in the tumultuous prewar times. Because they felt that a wardrobe completely in black for the queen would look bad a new one was hastily made all in white instead.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...hty-lady-helped-exile-Edward-VIII-France.html

How Queen Mother put Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in Exile: Senior royal called American divorcee a 'naughty lady' as she ensured the Royal Family shunned their wedding


The Queen Mum: The Reluctant Queen, airs on Channel 5 on Saturday at 9pm.

 

[padams2359]

I don’t think the situation with Wallis and Meghan are the same. I don’t think the comparisons are remotely fair. Meghan was not a married woman carrying on an affair with Harry. Her marriage was long over before they ever met.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Queen Elizabeth attended the Maundy Service in 1946.

 

[theroyalfly]

Today in Royal History is the 119th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon.

 

[Blog Real]

Funeral:

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t7w_YiFv...10_2802498479983582_8849315949122510918_o.jpg

 

[CyrilVladisla]

During the Second World War, Queen Elizabeth refused to flee England to seek safety for herself and her children. She declared, "I could not possibly leave the King, and the King will never go."

 

[Kronprinz]

A new documentary again claims the Queen Mother resented the Queen in the first few years of her reign for taking away her status.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...ve-dangerously-progressive-Prince-Philip.html

 

[Denville]

How did hte queen take away her status?

 

[Curryong]

Presumably by coming to the throne, the King having inconveniently died so the QM couldn't be Consort anymore!

 

[Roderick]

A new documentary again claims the Queen Mother resented the Queen in the first few years of her reign for taking away her status.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...ve-dangerously-progressive-Prince-Philip.html

Not sure that she actually resented the Queen, but it's said she did resent losing her status when her husband died and she was relegated to being the Queen Mother. She had been Queen Consort for about 15 years, so understandable in some ways perhaps.

 

[Denville]

Not sure that she actually resented the Queen, but it's said she did resent losing her status when her husband died and she was relegated to being the Queen Mother. She had been Queen Consort for about 15 years, so understandable in some ways perhaps.

I think the evidence is that she was pretty devastated by the loss of the King, at such a young age.. and in fact the queen seems to have bent to her wishes a lot, so I dont think she had much to complain about in that sense.. Its believed that the queen stuck with a lot of conservative ideas about things, because she didn't want to upset Mummy...

 

[Jacknch]

I personally doubt the Queen Mother resented her daughter at all when she became queen - she knew all her married life that is what would happen one day. Furthermore, it wasn't QEII who took away her status it was the constitutional process associated with there being a constitutional monarchy.

 

[Susan D]

I don't think that the Queen Mum was good for the monarchy: she gambled and it was really difficult to get her to leave the palaces after the king died.

 

[Denville]

I personally doubt the Queen Mother resented her daughter at all when she became queen - she knew all her married life that is what would happen one day. Furthermore, it wasn't QEII who took away her status it was the constitutional process associated with there being a constitutional monarchy.

Of course she didn't resent her daughter.. She was desperately upset by her husband's death.. and it took her some time to take up an active role again...

 

[CyrilVladisla]

President and Mamie Eisenhower with Queen Elizabeth at the White House in 1954
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-pr...ueen-elizabeth-the-queen-mother-87527339.html

 

[Roderick]

Of course she didn't resent her daughter.. She was desperately upset by her husband's death.. and it took her some time to take up an active role again...

I don't think anyone has suggested that the Queen Mother wasn't desperately upset about her husband's death - she simply did not want to fade into the background or change her lifestyle, her residences etc as previous widows of monarchs had done and she did in fact act fairly quickly to make sure these things didn't happen. Elizabeth II had to be OK with that because, as has been noted previously, she was always at pains "never to do anything that might upset Mummy".

 

[Denville]

I don't think anyone has suggested that the Queen Mother wasn't desperately upset about her husband's death - she simply did not want to fade into the background or change her lifestyle, her residences etc as previous widows of monarchs had done and she did in fact act fairly quickly to make sure these things didn't happen. Elizabeth II had to be OK with that because, as has been noted previously, she was always at pains "never to do anything that might upset Mummy".

Many royal widows are not too happy with having to give up the status they had as queens.. and are slow to move into "widowed accommodation" and teh QM lost her husband much earlier than she mgiht have expected.

 

[padams2359]

Having to shut off her heat in order to get her out of BP did not exhibit the effort of a quick move. Clarence House was available, and by the coronation, Marbough House was also available.

 

[Osipi]

I don't think anyone has suggested that the Queen Mother wasn't desperately upset about her husband's death - she simply did not want to fade into the background or change her lifestyle, her residences etc as previous widows of monarchs had done and she did in fact act fairly quickly to make sure these things didn't happen. Elizabeth II had to be OK with that because, as has been noted previously, she was always at pains "never to do anything that might upset Mummy".

As her father's death catapulted the Queen onto the throne a lot sooner than was expected, I think that HM did derive comfort from having her mother close by to lean on in the beginning. Mother and daughter had the unique bond of both being queens and, in a sense, Elizabeth had the Queen Mother to talk to about things in confidence about anything that she was unsure about. The two of them remained so very close in that fashion until the day the Queen Mother died. A day didn't go by where they didn't talk with each other.

It wasn't so much "in with the new and out with the old" but a transition period for both women that served them well. The Queen Mother had the experience to pass on and also was made to feel "wanted " and "useful" and "needed" after losing her beloved husband.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Osipi, I like your description of the transition. Also, The Queen Mother had a sense of accomplishment. Better to be useful than to be on hold.

 

[AC21091968]

I found this documentary on The Queen Mother's passion on horse racing released on 1986. The Queen Mother herself actually gave short interviews! Other contributors including private secretary, former royal jockeys and former horsing managers/trainers.

 

[Roderick]

Yes, true and it should also be acknowledged that I'm pretty sure the Prime Minister of the day and friend Winston Churchill personally visited the Queen Mother early in her widowhood to implore her not to withdraw or retreat from royal life because her daughter was now Queen and that there was a place for her still in the active work of the royal family.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I often wondered if Marlborough House was offered to the Queen Mother after the death of Queen Mary in 1953 and if she was more settled at Clarence House?

 

[Minister of Court]

I often wondered if Marlborough House was offered to the Queen Mother after the death of Queen Mary in 1953 and if she was more settled at Clarence House?

The Queen Mother would’ve indeed preferred to move to Marlborough House but the government overruled her wishes, thinking the cost of maintaining it would be too high (consequently leasing the house to the Commonwealth secretariat). The Queen Mother detested Clarence House, at first anyway.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Did Elizabeth Duchess of York miscarry a baby in 1929?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225089

 

[Sandy345]

If she were showing I think the pregnancy would have been announced. Shawcross probably would have found this out in his research. I am not sure this is true.

 

[Curryong]

Who knows if the QM had a miscarriage. However how did senior officers commanding this man in the RAF get to hear of it so he almost escaped a court martial? Miscarriages weren?t the sort of thing that were even mentioned in ?polite society? in the 1920s. It was usually kept a secret between the woman, her husband, closest female relatives and her doctor. The idea of complaining to strange males about such an occurrence would be regarded as a no no.

All I can say is it?s a strange story. She probably was buzzed while walking, but a miscarriage...?!! I?ve read tons of books over the years on the QM, including memoirs of those who knew her well and no mention of any such tragedy. She and her Bertie had trouble conceiving their first baby. That is quite well known. This is something else again though.

 

[Denville]

Who knows if the QM had a miscarriage. However how did senior officers commanding this man in the RAF get to hear of it so he almost escaped a court martial? Miscarriages weren?t the sort of thing that were even mentioned in ?polite society? in the 1920s. It was usually kept a secret between the woman, her husband, closest female relatives and her doctor. The idea of complaining to strange males about such an occurrence would be regarded as a no no.

All I can say is it?s a strange story. She probably was buzzed while walking, but a miscarriage...?!! I?ve read tons of books over the years on the QM, including memoirs of those who knew her well and no mention of any such tragedy. She and her Bertie had trouble conceiving their first baby. That is quite well known. This is something else again though.

it sounds pretty weird. As you say, at the time miscarraiges were not soemthing that were talked abut so how would the story get out? I think that the queen only had 2 pregnancies and she and Bertie weren't that fertile a couple so it took them a long time to produce thier 2 children..

 

[Stefan]

The Queen Mother would’ve indeed preferred to move to Marlborough House but the government overruled her wishes, thinking the cost of maintaining it would be too high (consequently leasing the house to the Commonwealth secretariat). The Queen Mother detested Clarence House, at first anyway.

Wasn't it also because Clarence House had already renovated for her by the time Marlborough House became availible after the death of Queen Mary.