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


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
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.
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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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I especially loved the future queen Elizabeth and her sister Margareth as little girls. :flowers:
 
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. :flowers: 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.
 
:previous:

This is one of my favorite portraits of them. The Queen in an Elizabethan robe - just marvellous. :flowers:
Btw, you can clearly see the resemblance between George V. and Prince Michael of Kent in this picture as well.
 
Queen Mary and King George V were the same height, five feet seven inches. Her heels, hairstyle, headwear and general clothing all contributed to the illusion that she was considerably taller than he but this was not the case.
 
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Queen Mary and King George V were the same height, five feet seven inches. Her heels, hairstyle, headwear and general clothing all contributed to the illusion that she was considerably taller than he but this was not the case.
Yeah, I too suspected something like that.
 
I'm a bit surprised that Mary was five feet seven inches tall. I know many pictures from her in crowds of people/men in which she seems to be taller than most of the men. Yes, she may have worn heels, but as George V. was known to be old fashioned, I think he wouldn't have allowed her extremely heels. ;)
 
I've always found it interesting that a 5'7" woman looks tall, but a 5'7" man looks short. Men of course were smaller then on average, and Queen Mary would have been quite a tall woman for her day. When I was a child (during the 60s and early 70s), a six foot tall man was considered a very tall man. Now, a man has to be over six feet to be considered truly tall..at least in North America.:flowers:
 
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But like you said yourself, the average man is taller than the average woman. That's why 5'7'' is considered a rather short height for a man, while a woman at the same height is considered tall.

*My 900th post!*
 
This may seem funny, but I ve read somewhere that Mary Adelaide's physical condition has been one of the main reasons Queen Victoria wanted Mary as a future Bride. Quenn Victoria was alway impressed by the fact that the Duchess of Teck was very fat and yet she never suffered any health problems, was active and could beat up any other lady with her energy while dancing. QVictoria thought that if the Duchess was in such a good health , then Mary who was so slimmer should be even more healthier and thus marrying her to one of those " anemic Waleses " would be the best for her future great grand children.

Were really the Wales' children considered as " anemic" and with ill health? I ve heard it for the first time.
 
I know that Prince Eddy wasn't exactly considered the picture of robust health. The only knock I heard against the sisters was that Alexandra treated them like children and that they acted like that long after it was appropriate. I know Princess May once took exception to Louise having a party more suited to a child when she was 19.
 
And there's also Maud, who later became queen of Norway. She was very, very skinny. If she had lived today, people would probably have wondered, if she had an eating disorder.
 
The all suffered terribly, I would think, under the corsets and stays so fashionable during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such a classic and timeless look - elegant may be a better term.... but wow, I bet it was uncomfortable!

Princess Mary Adelaide's mother was quite long-lived, too. Another point Queen Victoria could have interpreted as the Cambridge's having good genes and good health.... in my opinion.
 
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I ve looking on various pictures on Queen Mary taken during the 30's, 40's and 50's and I ve noticed that she wore really long skirts and dresses. Of course I didn't expect to see that lady wearing something skimpy;) but most of her skirts are floor length and the shorter ones I ve seen are barely revealing her shoes and ankles. I wonder, she never felt tempted to wear something a little shorter during the 40's lets say, when the dressed were vastly changed from the ones she was accustomed to her youth. After all, very long skirts aren't very comfortable IMHO....
 
Yes, Queen Mary was definitely static in terms of fashion, but I guess it was her way of keeping that dignified persona of the royal family. You can tell how dated her clothes seemed in this photo of her with Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians
Queen_Mary_and_Queen_Elisabeth.jpg (image)
Speaking of dated fashion, it does seem to run in the British royal family. The Queen Mum always appeared in her big floppy hats and 40s dresses until her death less than a decade ago, and the Queen seems to be stuck in a fashion rut w/ her hats, gloves and handbags. But that's the endearing image we have of them. We wouldn't recognize them if they changed their look.
 
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I read once that Queen Mary had very shapely legs and that she wanted to shorten her skirts a little but felt she needed the King's approval. So she had one of her ladies-in-waiting shorten her own skirts and then she asked His Majesty if he liked Lady Airlie's shortened hemlines. The King said no, they were too short. Lady Airlie immediately let down her hemlines and Queen Mary gave up the idea of raising hers. BTW, we're only talking about raising them to ankle length here. LOL!

The thing about the Queen Mum is that she had her own special style that everyone expected to see her in. It wasn't fashionable or smart but it was her own.
 
When Did Queen Mary Have Lady Airlie Inquire

In what year did Queen Mary have Lady Airlie inquire about hem lengths?:previous:
 
I read once that Queen Mary had very shapely legs and that she wanted to shorten her skirts a little but felt she needed the King's approval. So she had one of her ladies-in-waiting shorten her own skirts and then she asked His Majesty if he liked Lady Airlie's shortened hemlines. The King said no, they were too short. Lady Airlie immediately let down her hemlines and Queen Mary gave up the idea of raising hers. BTW, we're only talking about raising them to ankle length here. LOL!

The thing about the Queen Mum is that she had her own special style that everyone expected to see her in. It wasn't fashionable or smart but it was her own.

You're right. King George V. was quite old fashioned and I've heard of that story you mentioned as well. Queen Mary didn't change her style mainly because the King didn't like it.
Btw, another nice story: Queen Mary once told her daughter in law, Princess Marina, that King George didn't like painted finger nails. Marina answered "well, my George does like it!" :D
 
Queen Mary - Ladies in Waiting - 1911

I am interested in finding out about the ladies in waiting to Queen Mary.
In particular, the Honourable Venetia Baring, she accompanied King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911.
Does anyone know where I can find out when she was appointed a lady in waiting and for how long did she server Queen Mary.
Thanks
 
All I could discover was Venetia Baring was a daughter of Lord Ashburton and niece of Lord Hood. On peerage lists it states that she is a descendant of John Baring. Perhaps you can begin your search with the peerage lists
 
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The Honourable Venetia Marjorie Mabel Baring was actually not a lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary. She was a Maid of Honour, which is a little different.

Queen Mary had four Maids of Honour in her service; besides Venetia Baring, there was the Honourable Katherine Villiers (niece of Lord Clarendon), the Honourable Sybil Brodrick (granddaughter of Lord Wemyss), and the Honourable Mabel Gye.

It is important to note that Maids of Honour to the Queen gain the title of "the Honourable" whether or not they are entitled by birth to use it.. and they retain the title for life. All Maids appointed by the Queen must also be at least the granddaughter of a peer.

In Venetia Baring's case, she was entitled to use "the Honourable" before her name by virtue of her birth. She was born on 30 April 1890, to Francis Baring, 5th Lord Ashburton, and Mabel Edith Hood, his wife. Mabel Hood was the daughter of the 4th Viscount Hood, and was the sister of Lord Grosvenor Hood, 5th Viscount (which explains the earlier reference to Venetia being the niece of Lord Hood).

Venetia was the eldest of five children, and had one brother, who became Lord Ashburton on his father's death in 1938. He appears to be the only one of the children to have descendants.

Their mother, Mabel Hood Baring, died on 18 January 1904, and Lord Ashburton remarried in 1906, but there do not appear to have been any children from his second marriage.

I do not know the exact date Venetia Baring was appointed to be a Maid of Honour to Queen Mary, but I can say that most maids since the reign of Queen Victoria, were at least seventeen years of age (and preferably older).

Once appointed, a Maid of Honour kept her position until she married, when she was then required to relinquish the appointment (being no longer "a maid").

I can find no marriage record thus far for Venetia Baring, and it is therefore probable that she retained her position in Queen Mary's court until her death on 15 July 1937.
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If you are still interested, however, in Queen Mary's Ladies - I suggest the following book:

Ladies in Waiting:
From the Tudors to the Present Day
by Anne Somerset

The book was published in 2004-2005, and can be found at Amazon and other outlets. I have not read this book myself, but have heard from others that it is quite an interesting read. :)
 
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Thanks for the infor HM Queen Catherine!

Do you know if Venetia Baring was related to Poppy Baring, or am I mixing up names?
 
Thanks for the infor HM Queen Catherine!
Do you know if Venetia Baring was related to Poppy Baring, or am I mixing up names?

I'm not sure that this entry belongs in this thread.. but

The Honourable Venetia Baring and Poppy Baring Thursby are indeed related, but distantly. Both are from the same banking family, although from separate lines.

Venetia Baring was the daughter of Francis, 5th Baron Ashburton. Her line of descent, beginning with her father, is as follows:

Francis (5th Baron) ---> Alexander (4th Baron) ---> Francis (3rd Baron) ---> Alexander (1st Baron) ---> Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet Baring of London
(William, 2nd Baron Ashburton died without issue - Francis, 3rd Baron was his younger brother)

Helen Azalea "Poppy" Baring was the daughter of Sir Godfrey Baring, 1st Baronet Baring of Nubia House, Isle of Wight. Her line of descent, beginning with her father, is as follows:

Sir Godfrey (1st Baronet) ---> Lt. General Charles Baring ---> Major Henry Bingham Baring ---> Henry Baring ---> Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet Baring of London

Poppy Baring later became the wife of William Piers Thursby.

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, and Henry Baring were the second and third sons of Sir Francis. The eldest son, Sir Thomas (2nd Baronet) was the father of the 1st Lord Northbrook, and the grandfather of the 1st Earl of Northbrook.

Alexander and Henry's wives were sisters - Anne Louise Bingham was married to Alexander Baring, and Maria Matilda Bingham was the first wife of Henry Baring. Both were daughters of US Senator William Bingham and Anne Willing.

The descendants of five of the branches of the Baring family were elevated to the peerage, with the titles Baron Revelstoke, Earl of Northbrook, Baron Ashburton, Baron Howick of Glendale and Earl of Cromer. Almost all were associated in some way with Barings Bank.

The Barony of Revelstoke is extant with the 6th Baron, James Cecil Baring. There is an heir to this title.
(Diana, Princess of Wales, is also a descendant of this branch of the Baring family. Her great grandmother was Margaret Baring, who married Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer. Diana's descent, however, is through the second marriage of Henry Baring to Cecilia Anne Windham. Their second son, Edward Charles Baring became the 1st Baron Revelstoke and was the father of Margaret. Margaret was Viscountess Althorp, but was not Countess Spencer. She died in 1906, and her husband became Earl in 1910.)

The Earldom of Northbrook has been extinct since 1929, but the barony is extant with the 6th Baron, Francis Thomas Baring. There is no heir to this title, and the current heir presumptive is a fourth cousin of the 6th Baron. The Northbrook title represents the senior line of the Baring family. The 1st Baron Northbrook was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet Baring of London. He was in turn, the eldest son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet.

The Barony of Ashburton is extant with the 7th Baron, John Francis Harcourt Baring. The Ashburton title represents a junior line of the Baring family. The 1st Baron was Alexander Baring, second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet Baring of London. There is an heir to this title.

The Barony Howick of Glendale is extant with the 2nd Baron, Charles Evelyn Baring. The Howick title represents a junior line of the Baring family. The title was created in 1960 for Sir Evelyn Baring, former Governor of Kenya. He was the third and youngest son of the 1st Earl of Cromer. There is an heir to this title.

The Earldom of Cromer is extant with the 4th Earl, Evelyn Rowland Esmond Baring. The Cromer title represents a junior line of the Baring family. The 1st Earl was the sixth son of Henry Baring and his second wife, Cecilia Anne Windham. The heir to this title is the 4th Earl's son, Viscount Errington.
 
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