Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

Not to be confused with Queen Elizabeth II.
"The Queen Mother" and "Elizabeth the Queen Mother" redirect here. For other uses, see Queen mother (disambiguation) and Elizabeth the Queen Mother (disambiguation).

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Oil portrait of Queen Elizabeth at half length
Portrait by Richard Stone, 1986
Queen consort of the United Kingdom
and the British Dominions
Tenure11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952
Coronation12 May 1937
Empress consort of India
Tenure11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947[a]
BornElizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon[b]
(1900-08-04)4 August 1900
Hitchin or London, England
Died30 March 2002(2002-03-30) (aged 101)
Royal Lodge, Windsor, Berkshire, England
Burial9 April 2002
King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1923; died 1952)​
Issue
Noble familyBowes-Lyon
FatherClaude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
MotherCecilia Cavendish-Bentinck
SignatureElizabeth Bowes-Lyon's signature

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon[b] (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was also the last Empress of India from 1936 until the British Raj was dissolved on 15 August 1947. After her husband died, she was officially known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother,[2] to avoid confusion with her daughter Queen Elizabeth II.

Born into a family of British nobility, Elizabeth came to prominence in 1923 when she married Prince Albert, Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. The couple and their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, embodied traditional ideas of family and public service.[3] The Duchess undertook a variety of public engagements and became known for her consistently cheerful countenance.[4]

In 1936, Elizabeth's husband unexpectedly ascended the throne as George VI when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth then became queen consort. She accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and North America before the start of the Second World War. During the war, her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. After the war, her husband's health deteriorated, and she was widowed at the age of 51. Her elder daughter, aged 25, became the new queen.

After the death of Queen Mary in 1953, Elizabeth was viewed as the matriarch of the British royal family. In her later years, she was a consistently popular member of the family, even at times when other royals were suffering from low levels of public approval.[5] She continued an active public life until just a few months before her death at the age of 101, seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter, Princess Margaret.


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  1. ^ Shawcross, p. 8
  2. ^ "No. 55932". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 August 2000. p. 8617. "No. 56653". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 2002. p. 1. "No. 56969". The London Gazette. 16 June 2003. p. 7439.
  3. ^ Roberts, pp. 58–59
  4. ^ British Screen News (1930), Our Smiling Duchess, London: British Screen Productions
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference moore was invoked but never defined (see the help page).