ELIZABETH BOWES-LYON: BIOGRAPHY OF THE QUEEN MOTHER OF ENGLAND - ARTE - 2024

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002) was consort of King George VI and Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions during the period from 1936 to 1952. She is also referred to as the Duchess of York, Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth in English) and the Queen Mother, once her daughter assumed the throne.

She is often recognized for her contribution to the stability of the monarchy during times of crisis such as the abdication of her husband's brother, Edward VIII, World War II, and the death of Princess Diana. In addition, it is considered that it helped to consolidate the image of her husband as an English monarch.

Portrait frame by Isabel Bowes-Lyon (1986) Source: Richard Stone

Biography

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (original name in English) was born in August 1900 in the renowned St. Paul's Walden Bury family farmhouse, located in the town of Hitchin, Hertfordshire county, England. She was the ninth of ten children of Claude George Bowes-Lyon and his wife Nina Cecilia (Celia).

The family was descended from the Royal House of Scotland, one of their ancestors being Sir John Lyon, who was Thane de Glamisen, one of the most prominent titles of nobility that could be received in the fourteenth century.

Childhood and youth

Isabel was home schooled by private tutors. From the age of five she was in the care of Mlle (Madé) Lang, her beloved French governess who allowed her to master the language when she barely reached the age of 10. Then she had a second governess of German origin, Fräulein Kuebler, with whom she did not have such a close or successful relationship.

Her attendance at the Birtwhistle Girls' School on Sloane Street at the age of 12 was a temporary situation. When the First World War began, at the age of 14, she helped with the social work of patients, as the Glamis Castle where she lived became a hospital center

As Elizabeth and her other 3 sisters were friends with the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, some apocryphal versions claim that she met her future husband when they were children at a children's party. But the official story indicates that the first meeting was during the wedding of Princess Maria and Viscount Lascelles, in which she was a maid of honor.

At the third marriage proposal of the young Duke of York, Albert Frederick Arthur George, Lady Elizabeth agreed to marry in April 1923 at Westminster Abbey.

Marriage and kingship

Their first years of marriage were spent between public engagements, official visits and tours. At that time, it is said that Duchess Isabel suggested to her husband that he receive speech therapy to overcome a stuttering problem, which would later help him to take on the new challenges that fate proposed to him.

In April 1926, Elizabeth brought her first daughter into the world by caesarean section, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. And in 1930, four years later, she gave birth to the second royal infanta, Princess Margaret Rose.

At the end of the same year that King George V died, in 1936, his eldest son Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced woman of American origin. Unexpectedly, Albert, his younger brother and young Duke of York, was appointed as the leader of the English monarchy.

In this way, Elizabeth went from being a duchess to the first queen consort of British origin since the Tudor Dynasty. In May 1937 George VI and Elizabeth I were crowned the new kings of Great Britain and Ireland.

It is said that the queen never forgave her brother-in-law and ensured that he remained in exile with his new wife, so that they would never receive the title of His Royal Highness.

War experiences

From left to right, then Princess Elizabeth (now Elizabeth II), Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George VI, and Princess Margaret. Source: Deutsch: Kameramann des Special Film Project 186 der United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)

During the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Queen Elizabeth refused to leave England with her daughters, for whom they lived the attacks of the enemies, even resisting the bombing of Buckingham Palace, where the royal family resided.

This served as an inspiration for the entire nation, who witnessed the support that their kings offered them in the most difficult moments, visiting the affected areas, hospitals and troops after the German attacks. The Palace was dressed in austerity in these years.

One of the most iconic scenes in support of the monarchy was recorded when the end of the war came in May 1945. The kings, their daughters and Winston Churchill stood on the balcony of the palace in front of the cheering crowds, by the that they had to reappear another eight times in total to greet those who were stationed on the outskirts.

Queen Mother, her last years

In mid-1951, the king's health began to fail, so touring trips and appearances at public ceremonies declined. Following the death of King George VI in 1952, his first daughter became Queen Elizabeth II and his mother became known as the Queen Mother.

During these years she continued with her public duties in the United Kingdom, being president of some 350 organizations and making more than 40 official visits abroad.

He even maintained his popularity during the scandals involving his grandson, Prince Charles with Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, as well as during his daughter Margaret's affair with a divorced commoner, Captain Peter Townsend.

In March 2002, shortly before her 102nd birthday, the Queen Mother passed away in her sleep at Windsor Castle. Since the death of her daughter Margarita from a stroke, months before, her health had been weakening. Despite having lived over 100 years, she was only queen for 16.

In 2009 a controversial biography was published, commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II, of historian William Shawcross. In the work Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: The Official Biography, her admiration for Minister Margaret Thatcher is recounted, in contrast to the feeling of rejection that her daughter is known to have.

In addition to announcing that in 1966 the Queen Mother was operated on in London for colon cancer, it is evident how her life had been founded on obligation, discretion and restriction. The text tells how she hated scandals, first from her brother-in-law and then from her grandson.

References

1. "Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-)." Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Recovered from Encyclopedia.com
2. Tikkanen, A. & Encyclopædia Britannica (2019, July 31) Elizabeth. Recovered from britannica.com
3. Goldman, L. (2009, October 08). Elizabeth (1900–2002). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Recovered from oxforddnb.com
4. Goodey, E. (2015, December 21). Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Recovered from royal.uk
5. Lewis, JJ (2019, April 07). Facts about the Mother of Queen Elizabeth II. Recovered from thoughtco.com
6. Plus, EP (2002, March 31). The Queen Mother of England dies at 101. Recovered from elpais.com
7. The nation. (2009, September 17). They publish a controversial book about the former queen of England. Recovered from lanacion.com.ar