House of Windsor - Elizabeth Bowes Lyon
Name: Elizabeth Bowes Lyon
Father: Claude, Earl of Strathmore
Mother: Cecilia, Countess of Strathmore
Born: August 4, 1900 at London
Married: George VI, on April 26, 1923
Children: Two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret
Died: March 30, 2002 at Royal Lodge, Windsor, aged 101 years, 7 months, and 24 days
Buried at: Windsor
Elizabeth was the wife and Queen consort of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II. She was born London but spent much of her childhood in Glamis Castle her father’s ancestral home in Scotland. She was educated at home and fond of outdoor sports, horses and dogs. During World War I her elder brother Fergus was killed in action and her other brother Michael was captured and held prisoner of war. Elizabeth helped to run Glamis castle as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers.
Prince Albert, known as Bertie, and second son of George V proposed to her in 1921. She turned him down as she felt that as a royal wife she would “never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to”. However he proposed again and they were married in 1923. They had two daughters Elizabeth, know as ‘Lilibet’ who later became Queen Elizabeth II, and Margaret Rose, Princess Margaret.
When George V died his eldest son Edward became king, but after he abdicated 10 months later, Albert as the second son became King George VI. He was at first unprepared to become king and was naturally shy and suffered from a stammer; however Elizabeth supported and encouraged him. During World War II they refused to leave London during the bombing and evacuate the children to Canada. She and her husband toured the devastated city and during the dark days of the Blitz the royal family became a symbol of the nation and hope for the future.
King George VI died suddenly in 1952, and she became Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother. Her trade mark hats, love of horse racing and arts made her very popular member of the Royal family, and her 100th birthday was widely celebrated. She died aged 101 in 2002, seven weeks after her daughter Princess Margaret.