THE QUEEN AND I--the queen mother

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Isabel Bowes-Lyon 


BIOGRAPHY


Elizabeth, also called (1923–36) Duchess of York, (1936–52) Queen Elizabeth, and the Queen Mother, she was also the last queen consort of Ireland and the last empress of India. She was born August 4, 1900 in St. Paul’s Waldenbury, England and she died March 30, 2002 in Windsor, Berkshire. On April 26, 1923, she married King George VI and became queen thanks to the abdication of Edward VIII.


Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the youngest daughter of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne who died in 1944; the Bowes-Lyon family is descended from Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland. On April 26, 1923, Elizabeth was married to Albert, duke of York, second son of King George V. On December 11, 1936, Edward VIII abdicated and her husband became George VI, Elizabeth became queen. But George was not prepared to be a king because he was shy and melancholic. Elizabeth helped transform him into a respected monarch and she attempted to find treatment for his stuttering. As a queen, Elizabeth also had great popularity, because during World War II,  she didn't want to leave London during German air attack  after Buckingham Palace was bombed. She established an unprecedented special relationship with the public and she became known as the smiling queen. 

Elizabeth had two daughters: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the future queen Elizabeth II,  born April 21, 1926, and Princess Margaret Rose, the future countess of Snowdon and  born in 1930 and she died February 9, 2002. After her husband’s death on February 6, 1952, and Elizabeth II sat in the throne, she became known officially as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She became an influential figure and made numerous appearances in England and around the world. She was one of the most popular and admired members of the royal family.

 

THE QUEEN MOTHER

In the novel, the queen mother plays a secondary role. She doesn't mind losing her title or her palace, she is happy and wants to celebrate it with a strong drink. Her only concern was not to go hungry. In the chapter no money, no food, she asks Fitzroy if he likes horse racing. After his answer she gives him five pounds to bet on Sea Mist horse, this turns out to be the winner so the queen is the first to get some money to pay for the gas.

The last appearance of the mother queen is the chapter Charles in court again where she is very ill, lying in her bed surrounded by Philomena and the rest of her family, except her grandchild who was in prison. The Queen Mother was very ill so her daughter wanted to take her to the doctor but Filomena forbids her since her mother is very old and she is better off sleeping forever in the arms of the good lord. Then they dress her up with a blue dress and her jewellery and brush her hair for her deep sleep, while her grandchildren kiss her goodbye. The next day the queen mother dies in her bed at 92 years old. The funeral was attended by all his family including Charles who was in jail and their neighbors. While everyone cried and embraced sadly for the death of the queen mother, the queen remained strong without dropping a tear.

After the queen mother’s death the family was in chaos. Philip was in a mental hospital after he stopped eating when they got to his new home. Charles was in Scotland without a roof over his head. Her middle son, Andrew, was serving on a submarine in Antarctica. Anne was going out with the handyman, Diana was probably having an affair with Fitzoy and their children were becoming wild. Harris was also running around with a gang of street dogs. He hadn’t even come back for food. And Edward was missing.

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