THE Queen Mother was the late Queen Elizabeth's mum and a much-loved national treasure.
Here's everything you need to know about the great royal matriarch.
Who was the Queen Mother?
The Queen Mother was born on August 4, 1900.
In 1923 she married Prince Albert.
She became Queen Elizabeth after Prince Albert's brother King Edward VIII abdicated the throne on December 11, 1936.
Edward wanted to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, but as King he was head of the Church of England, which at that time did not allow divorced people to remarry.
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Rather than abandon his plans to wed Simpson, he chose to abdicate in favour of Albert, who became King in his place on December 11, 1936 under the name of George VI.
King George VI and Elizabeth were crowned King and Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions, and Emperor and Empress of India in Westminster Abbey on May 12, 1937.
Elizabeth's crown was made of platinum and was set with the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Elizabeth was Queen consort — the title of the wife of the King, although she doesn’t rule as the monarch.
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She would remain Queen consort until King George VI's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
When did the Queen Mother die?
The Queen Mother died on March 30, 2002.
Her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, had passed away seven weeks earlier.
At 101 years and 238 days old, she was the longest-living member of the royal family in British history.
On the day of her funeral, April 9, 2002, the Governor General of Canada issued a proclamation asking Canadians to honour her memory, while in Australia the Governor-General read the lesson at a memorial service held in St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney.
Tragically, her daughter Queen Elizabeth II also passed away on September 8, 2022, at her home in Balmoral.
How long was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married to King George VI?
Prince Albert — known as Bertie — first proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, but she initially turned him down.
Elizabeth said she was "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to" if she became part of the Royal Family.
But the Prince did not give up his hopes to marry her and declared he would marry no other.
His mother, Queen Mary, visited Elizabeth's childhood home to meet her, and became convinced that she was "the one girl who could make Bertie happy".
In February 1922 Elizabeth was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Albert's sister, Princess Mary, to Viscount Lascelles.
The following month, Albert proposed again, but she refused him once more.
Eventually, in January 1923, Elizabeth agreed to marry Albert, and they selected a platinum engagement ring featuring a Kashmir sapphire with two diamonds adorning its sides.
They married on April 26, 1923, at Westminster Abbey, and Elizabeth, aged 22, became styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York.
Following a wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace, the new Duchess and her husband honeymooned at Polesden Lacey, a manor house in Surrey.
The couple were married for 29 years, until the King's death on February 6, 1952.
Their eldest daughter Princess Elizabeth was born three years later, on April 21, 1926.
Princess Margaret arrived on August 21, 1930.
Of course, Princess Elizabeth went on to become Queen Elizabeth II.
She sadly passed away at age 96 after 70 years of service.
The family were very close.
When the Cabinet advised Elizabeth to send her children away during World War II, she declared: "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave."
What was the Queen Mother's cause of death?
The Queen Mother died in her sleep at the Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park.
Queen Elizabeth II was at her bedside.
The Queen Mother had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months.
The cause of death officially noted on her death certificate, however, was "extreme old age".
Did the Queen Mother have a state funeral?
The Queen Mother's funeral was a massive national outpouring of grief, but she did not have a state funeral.
She instead had a ceremonial funeral — as did the late Princess Diana and Prince Philip.
An estimated 200,000 people over three days filed past as she lay in state in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.
In London, more than a million people filled the area outside Westminster Abbey and along the 23-mile route from central London to her final resting place beside her husband and younger daughter in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
At her request, after her funeral, the wreath that had lain atop her coffin was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, in a gesture that echoed her wedding-day tribute 79 years before.
What was the Queen Mother's name?
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the Queen Mother's given name.
She became Queen Elizabeth after her husband's brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne.
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A Queen Mother is a dowager queen who is the mother of an empress mother.
She was popular, earning the nickname "Smiling Duchess" and was known for her cheerful spirit.
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