Queen Mother Elizabeth

British royalty, a beloved symbol of courage and dignity during a tumultuous century of war, always seen as modest and stable. As Princess Elizabeth, she married Prince George, the Duke of York, at Westminster Abbey on 4/23/1923, who ascended the throne in 1936 after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated. The mother of Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, she was known affectionately as "Queen Mum" when her elder daughter took the throne. A sturdy daughter of the Scottish aristocracy, the ninth of ten children born to the 14th Earl and Countess of Strathmore, she was descended from King Henry VII on her mother’s side and from King Robert II of Scotland on her father’s side. She was a morale-builder during WW II. During the worst of the blitz she went around the country visiting hospitals and bombed-out neighborhoods, usually wearing her lively colors, flamboyant hats and three rows of pearls. She refused to go to Canada for a safe retreat. On 9/13/1940, three bombs hit Buckingham Palace, 30 ft. from her and George; on their next visit to the East End they were loudly cheered. She was widowed 2/06/1952 with the death of King George V. As a tiny octogenarian she was still a gracious and beloved figure at public functions, a reminder of the unity and greatness of the monarchy in an era when the office was often greeted with cynicism. Elizabeth has been criticized for extravagance - her bank overdraft totaled some $6 million, but her daughter has made no move to put her on a budget. Hip replacements in 1995 and 1998 slowed the Queen Mother's step but she still carried out more than 50 royal engagements annually, performing her duties at royal functions and carrying on to dinners and balls. After a fall at her residence she suffered a broken collarbone on 11/03/2000. She mended well and had to cancel her appointments only briefly. When she reached 100, a grandmother of nine, though frail she was still quick and avid for days at the races, picnics in Scotland and gin-and-Dubonnet cocktails. A niece remarked, "Her secret is her joy in life." She died at 101, quietly in her sleep on 3/31/2002, 15:15 GMT at Windsor Castle (0 W.36, 51 N.29) Queen Elizabeth was at her mother’s side: seven weeks prior, her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, had died of a stroke. The unhappiness and scandals of the royals during the last decade and more had hit the family hard but the queen mother had helped to shore up the throne with her usual quiet demeanor and public graciousness. Link to Wikipedia biography