Isabel 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.
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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 14th century.
Isabel was home schooled by private tutors. From the age of five he was in the care of Mlle (Madé) Lang, his beloved French governess who allowed him to master the language when he barely reached the age of 10. Then he had a second governess of German origin, Fräulein Kuebler, with whom he did not have such a close or successful relationship..
Her attendance at 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, he helped with the work of social assistance to patients, as the Glamis Castle where he lived became a hospital.
As Elizabeth and her other 3 sisters were friends of 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..
On 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..
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.
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 made sure that he remained in exile with his new wife, so that they would never receive the title of Her Royal Highness..
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, they even resisted the bombardment of Buckingham Palace, where the royal family resided..
This served as inspiration for the entire nation, who witnessed the support that their kings offered them in the most difficult moments, visiting after the German attacks to the affected areas, hospitals and troops. 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 cheers of the crowds, by the who had to reappear another eight times in total to greet those who were stationed on the outskirts.
In mid-1951, the king's health began to fail, and 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 earlier, 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 His admiration for Minister Margaret Thatcher is recounted, in contrast to the feeling of rejection that his daughter is known to have had.
In addition to announcing that in 1966 the Queen Mother was operated on in London for suffering from colon cancer, it is evident how her life had been founded on obligation, discretion and restriction. The text tells how he hated scandals, first from his brother-in-law and then from his grandson.
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