Her Majesty Queen Mother Elizabeth: photo, biography

This elegant and always smiling woman entered the history of the British monarchy as Her Majesty the Queen Mother Elizabeth. Over the years, she was the most popular member of the royal family, who, in addition, recorded a record of longevity, living to a hundred and one. Hitler called her the most dangerous woman in Europe for the morale she could instill in the British army.

Childhood and youth of the future queen

The future Queen of England, whose full name is Elizabeth Angela Margaret Bouz-Lyon, was born on August 4, 1900, in the family of the Scottish aristocrat Claude George Bouz-Lyon. She was the ninth of ten children of this highly respected and prolific nobleman. The official birthplace of Elizabeth is their family castle, but in reality the baby came into the world directly in the ambulance, hurrying to deliver her mother Cecilia Cavendish-Benting to the district hospital.

The young lady spent her childhood, as befits the people of her circle, in her own castle Glamis in Scotland, surrounded by countless nannies and governesses. When the child grew up, the three main attachments that she remained true to life: sport, ponies and dogs, clearly became apparent. No, no, afterwards her horizons were very wide, and the uncommon intellect put on a par with the smartest women of her time, but this children's love remained with her forever.

Elizabeth's youth was overshadowed by the First World War, which brought tribulation and into an aristocratic family. Of the four of her brothers who participated in the battles, one was killed, and the other was reported missing. Only after a while it turned out that, wounded, he was captured, where he was until the end of hostilities. Apparently, from these years the future mother queen hated war and was deeply sympathetic to everyone who defends the Fatherland. This feeling was clearly manifested in it during the years of the next world massacre.

The intractable bride

A gift to her twenty-first birthday was the offer of the hand and heart from Prince Albert, the second son of King George V. A little older than his chosen one (he was only twenty-six years old), the prince fell in love with a Scottish aristocrat, but, to his chagrin ( And a lot of surprise), was refused. Later, Elizabeth explained her deed solely by her reluctance to embarrass herself for the rest of her life with the framework of court etiquette and the demands made on members of the royal family.

However, Albert, in whose veins the blood of the British kings flowed, undertook a long-term "siege of the fortress" and a year later repeated the attempt, which proved to be equally inconclusive. Feeling sorry for the heartache of his son, who declared that he would not marry anyone else, his mother, Queen Maria, personally paid a visit to the obstinate bride, but considered it prudent not to interfere and allow the young people to understand their feelings.

The denouement of a love story

Only in 1923, after the third attempt, the persistent bridegroom finally received consent. And what kind of girl would have stood before the onslaught of the young handsome prince, who, moreover, the white horses was simply not counted. Their love story, which lasted almost three years, was given a fitting end in Westminster Abbey, where on April 26, 1923 they were married.

It should be noted that in 2002, when the Queen Mother died, the pages of newspapers and television screens were replicating mostly her photographs taken in the last years of her life, and she remained in the memory of contemporaries like a smiling, kind old woman. But in the pictures taken in the years of her youth, she appears a young and charming girl, and it becomes quite understandable that persistence with which Prince Albert sought her hand.

On the day of the wedding, Elizabeth laid the foundation for a tradition that has been kept steadily in our day. On her way to the abbey, she laid a bouquet to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (such memorials exist not only in Russia), and this noble gesture was subsequently copied by all the brides from the royal family.

Happy marriage

Becoming a husband and wife, the young did not disappoint each other. It was the rare case when marriage did not cool feelings and did not turn married life into a tedious routine. In the first years they traveled a lot, visiting various countries and as private individuals, and during official visits. In 1926, the stork brought them the first child - the young princess Elizabeth. By the way, the honorary title of Queen Mother was given to her later in order to avoid confusion at the mention of her and this girl, who also rose over time to the English throne. The next time a hardworking bird appeared in 1930 with another daughter - Margaret Rose.

After marriage with Prince Albert, Elizabeth received the title - Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York. However, it should be noted that there is a whole gulf between royal highness and majesty. If the second title belongs to persons occupying the throne, then the first refers only to their closest relatives. This abyss Elizabeth helped overcome the case, or rather, the character of the direct heir to the throne, the elder brother of her husband, Prince Edward.

Another love story in the royal family

After the death of his father - King George V, which was followed in 1936, Edward's eldest son took his place on the throne. But soon the unexpected happened - the newly-made monarch declared his desire to marry an American, who had previously been married twice and divorced as many times. The fact that she was not a royal blood, you could forgive, in the end, where nowadays so many princesses are attacked. But the trouble was that the Anglican church categorically forbids marrying the divorced, and English society would never have recognized her as queen.

Before the king a dilemma arose: either the crown and all accompanying honors, or marriage - that same cat in a sack, from which it is still unknown what to expect. But it turned out that in love he was as reckless and insistent as his younger brother. In the same year, for the sake of his bride - the daughter of an American banker, Wallis Simpson - Edward, renounced the throne, which under the name of King Henry VI was taken by his brother Albert - Elizabeth's husband. Now, in her title, the word "highness" was replaced by the coveted "Majesty" and the Queen Mother Elizabeth of England went headlong into state affairs.

Prewar years

By this time, the situation in Europe was becoming more and more tense every year. Germany, in which Hitler came to power, increased its combat power, and it was clear that a new world war was inevitable. In 1938, the Queen Mother and her husband, King Henry VI, visited France.

This was not an ordinary courtesy visit - the purpose of the trip was to create an Anglo-French anti-Hitler coalition. The next such step was a visit to the United States. Meeting in the White House with President Roosevelt, the august couple negotiated American support for European forces in case of the beginning of German aggression, as well as about the status of Canada in the conditions of military operations.

The Second World Massacre

In the years of the war that followed, the queen mother and her husband were a model of unprecedented patriotism. Even in the most difficult days, when London was bombed by German aviation, Elizabeth did not leave the capital and refused to send her children abroad. It could be seen in military units, hospitals, defense enterprises and everywhere, where moral support was needed for people who were under enemy fire.

The Queen Mother of Britain and her august husband did not leave Buckingham Palace, even when bombs were bursting on its territory. Only at night they moved to Windsor Castle, where it was somewhat safer. It was then, paying tribute to her fighting spirit, beneficially influencing the British Armed Forces, Hitler called her the most dangerous woman in Europe.

Bitterness of widowhood

Post-war years brought Elizabeth many problems. Sharply worsened and before the weak health of her husband - King George VI. The Queen Mother and her daughters were forced to assume the fulfillment of all his public duties. In 1949, he underwent surgery, and lung cancer was soon diagnosed. He died in 1952, having passed away from life at night, during sleep.

After his death, the widowed Elizabeth was officially named Her Majesty the Queen Mother Elizabeth. She experienced the death of her husband very hard and even for a few months withdrew from all, settling in her castle in Scotland. But soon the sense of duty and the consciousness of the responsibility entrusted to her prevailed over grief, and she again returned to London, continuing her mission.

Life in old age

As it was said at the beginning of the article, she loved sports until the end of her days and, despite her age, took part in equestrian competitions, having won a total of victories in five hundred arrivals. Another of her hobbies was collecting works of art. In the collection of the Queen Mother there were canvases of many famous masters of the past and the present.

In subsequent years, the Queen Mother of Great Britain traveled a lot. Being a man of extraordinary charm, she knew how to put her audience everywhere. In particular, when Elizabeth visited Iran in 1975, she pleasantly impressed the residents of this eastern country with her manner of communicating freely with everyone, regardless of status and social status.

Longevity from the royal house

It is known that the Queen Mother went down in history and as a rare long-liver. In 1990, at a celebration organized in honor of her ninety years, she cheerfully received a parade in which over three hundred sponsored organizations participated, and five years later was one of the main figures of the celebrations to commemorate the half-century anniversary of the end of the war. Its century has become a real national holiday, celebrated by the whole country. In honor of this significant event, the image of the Queen Mother was minted on coins worth twenty pounds.

last years of life

In the late nineties, her health deteriorated noticeably. The Queen Mother, whose photo of the last years of her life is presented in the article, underwent several surgeries, mainly caused by injuries she received during falls due to dizziness attacks. A severe shock to Elizabeth was the death of her second daughter, the seventy-two-year-old Princess Margaret. She could not recover from this blow and died on March 30, 2002.

The death of the Queen Mother showed in full how great importance it had for the nation. During the farewell stretching for three days, more than two hundred thousand people marched past the coffin exhibited at the Palace of Westminster. Another million stood outside, near the courtyard, wishing to express the gratitude that the Queen Mother had earned her life and activities. The funeral took place in Westminster Castle, whose chapel became the place of her last rest. According to Elizabeth's death request, the funeral wreath from her coffin was taken to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Queen Mother of Great Britain, whose biography has inextricably merged with the history of her country, is rightly recognized as one of the most popular representatives of the royal house. Even in her lifetime, an ocean liner was named in her honor, when she was brought to the water, she was personally present, and in 2009 her husband's memorial, King George VI, also adorned her own statue of sculptor Philip Jackson.