Queen Mary, consort of George V (1867-1953)

[Westminster]

Queen Victoria was indeed fond of the Duchess as well as she was fond of young Princess May. But my, she was so fat that she needed two chairs (no offence, just what I read) and as far as I know she was an embaressment to May. Btw it is said that Queen Marys father died in a whorehouse in Vienna but his body was brought to GB quietly.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Two chairs!!! Some of those antique chairs don't look they could could maintain much weight before collapsing into kindling! I never heard about Queen Mary's father dying in a brothel-- where did this rumor arise and what facts may support it?

[Roderick]

I do not think the story of Queen Mary`s father the Duke of Teck dying in a brothel can be substantiated. He was quite mentally debilitated after a series of strokes in the years before he died.

[cmkrcwi]

If I'm not mistaken, Queen Mary signed herself as "Victoria Mary" until she became Queen. Then, because The King, her husband, disliked double first names, she had to pick a name to use. "And, of course, I could not choose 'Victoria'".

[Vasillisos Markos]

Roderick,

Thank you for your post. Did the Duke of Teck have a reputation for licentiousness which gave rise to such a rumour?

[Westminster]

I read the rumour about the Duke of Teck's death at Wikipedia. I have no other sources.

[Grace Angel]

Originally Posted by Westminster

Queen Victoria was indeed fond of the Duchess as well as she was fond of young Princess May. But my, she was so fat that she needed two chairs (no offence, just what I read) and as far as I know she was an embaressment to May. Btw it is said that Queen Marys father died in a whorehouse in Vienna but his body was brought to GB quietly.

Wikipedia isn't very accurate at times in regards to the Duke of Teck thing. But it's true about Mary. May was embarassed by her mother's weight I read I believe it was in Pope Hennesy's bio of May.

[Dierna23]

It really isn't an accurate source, but I have read about this rumour about Francis of Teck's death otherwise as well. But in fact it's only a rumour and I do not know very much about the Duke of Tecks personality. In the movie "the lost prince" it was showed as well, that Mary was embarressed by her mothers behaviour. Mary of Cambridge was portrayed as a quite clumsy woman, but it's only a movie... However to me the Tecks came across as quite an bizarre family and I think of Marys special "love" for ivy here.

[Grace Angel]

May ended up being very dignified and acted very royal after she married the future George V, the opposite of her mother in some ways. But her mother was a nice person, just colorful, more than most royal women back then where.

[Wisteria]

Originally Posted by Hereditary Thane

As to George V's consort, Queen Mary names: Victoria Mary Augusta etc. Victoria was her formal name, but among the family the diminutive, May was used and passed into general usage. She was born a princess of an Austrian noble house (Dukes of Teck in Austria) although her father was not Austrian, and styled Her Serene Highness. Yes she was a descendant of George III but his descendants that I know without any royal style would never claim they were royal. I have it on good authority, by a close kinswoman of the late queen that she did choose Mary as a tribute to her mother. I can say no more. If I have offended anyone's sensibilities it was unintentional.

Whatever people choose to think she was thought a good match for a King as she was first chosen for the eldest son Albert Victor and when he died she went on to be the second son´s wife (lucky for her as it happened) and in those days they really took royal blood seriously when it came to marriage to a future King of Great Britain etc etc.
Her mother might have been nicknamed fat Mary, but wasn´t she the one that was born with luck and won all those beautiful emeralds supposedly still in the royal family coffers? I say supposedly because there have been many rumours about these emeralds.
I have more than one person in my family tree called Mary who was called May and I can guarantee that none were born in May s it might have been a happy coincidence or not.

[Vasillisos Markos]

I believe it was Queen Mary's grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who won several emeralds in a lottery while she was honeymooning with her husband, Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge. These emeralds were then left to Mary Adelaide, Queen Mary's mother. After the Duchess (Mary Adelaide) of Teck's death, the emeralds eventually came into Queen Mary's possession and I believe became incorporated in the jewelry she wore for her coronation. I believe the emeralds now belong to the Queen as her private jewelry.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

Far from being clumsy, I read in "Matriarch" by Anne Edwards, that Fat Mary was quite graceful for her weight. She was very fond of dancing and glided across the floor quite nicely.

She was extremely popular with the public and although she was a 'spendthrift' and constantly in debt, Queen Victoria was very fond of her.
She seems to have been popular also with most royals throughout Europe, even William II....

Larry

[Vasillisos Markos]

I think she was very popular for partronising certain organizations. It's a pity she did not live long enough to see her daughter crowned as Consort because the Duchess actively promoted her daughter for marriage into the Royal Family

[Dierna23]

Fat Mary was quite popular in her days, known as "the people's princess". Surely not because of clumsiness. It's indeed a pity that she didn't live long enough to see Mary as Queen Consort.

[silverstar]

Queen Mary of course attended her husbands silver jubilee service
held in St Pauls cathedral in 1935.
It was a grand occasion and a cause for national celebration...
even though events in Germany and Spain were causing much anxiety.
Sadly the King died just
a few months later in January 1936
go here
celebheaven :: Princess May of Teck


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[ada]

Originally Posted by silverstar

celebheaven :: Princess May of Teck

Thank you, marvellous

[Furienna]

I especially loved the future queen Elizabeth and her sister Margareth as little girls.

[Dierna23]

I think there will never be a Queen as regal in her appearance as Queen Mary was, IMO. She may not has been a classical beauty for some, but she had something really special and overwhelming in her look. No-one could look so smashing in fur and tons of jewels like she. Can't deny that she's my favorite Queen. Btw, does anybody know how tall she was? I realized that she must have been taller than George V.

[silverstar]

Yes, she was taller than her prince

heres proof

celebheaven :: Princess May of Teck


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[Dierna23]

This is one of my favorite portraits of them. The Queen in an Elizabethan robe - just marvellous.
Btw, you can clearly see the resemblance between George V. and Prince Michael of Kent in this picture as well.