Residences of the Queen Mother

[Osipi]

Was she permitted to stay at Walmer Castle whenever she liked or just for occasions relating to her position as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports?

She had even more homes than even Prince Charles now has.

Other than owning the Castle of Mey, she did have the use of several residences which, I think, enabled her to be in residence close to her family and yet live independently. Charles now has the use of Clarence House and Andrew has the use of Royal Lodge. I think it was stated that QEQM only stayed at Walmer Castle when she was there in her role as Warden.

I find the closeness of QEQM and her family to be very heartwarming. Although her daughter may have been the Queen, QEQM was very much the matriarch of the family just as Philip is very much the patriarch.

 

[Blog Real]

Did Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother have some staff who would work at some of her various residences?
If this had been done, would not less expenses have had to have been paid to the staff?
​

Probably some of the Queen Mother's servants would travel with her when she moved to their residences.
Maybe someone would check on the Queen Mother's private residences when she wasn't there.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

The wills of sovereigns are never disclosed, and so we are never likely to know what the Queen Mother was left by her husband.

The Strathmores were not wealthy by the standards of many of the English aristocracy. Their holdings were mainly in Scotland and in land.

Her father, Claude, the 14th Earl, died in the latter part of World War 2, when taxes were high. From what I've read he worried about money from the time he inherited the title. He himself was one of a dozen children.

He left several sons who had to be given some income. Probably, in the custom of those days, when his daughters married they were given a small sum for their marriage jointure and that was it. Elizabeth, who married a royal Duke was probably regarded as well settled financially by her birth family.

Elizabeth's maternal grandfather was a clergyman who died young, the Rev Charles Cavendish-Bentinck. Cecilia's mother married again and owned property in Italy after she was widowed for the second time.

Her Italian villa went to one of Cecilia Strathmore's sisters. Claude Strathmore bought a villa in Italy in the 1890's which was later sold to Queen Margharita of Savoy. However, property in Italy was comparitively cheap to buy in the 19th century.

The short answer is, I believe, that the Cavendish-Bentincks, though an old family, weren't wealthy and it's doubtful that Cecilie inherited much or left much. Because of the size of his family Claude Strathmore would have left most of his estate to his heir. His daughters would have received little.

The Cavendish-Bentinck’s were and their female descendants (the Parente’s) are amongst the wealthiest families in the U.K, they weren’t broke or relatively impoverished by any means. QEQM’s art collection came from her godmother and relative, Venetia James (née Cavendish-Bentinck). She probably inherit much from her maternal grandparents because her grandfather was a junior son.