The Duke of York, son of King George V and Mary of Teck, known to the family as “Bertie,” was the second in line to the throne following the death of his father. “Bertie” never really expected to be King, and, in fact, didn’t really want to be—preferring a quiet life. When he married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, they embarked on a simple life of family-time and public service which the shy Prince found comfortable. However, his brother, The Prince of Wales, had other ideas for his own life and, as we know, famously abdicating the throne, leaving “Bertie” to become King George VI.
The seventeenth in the series of Wills Cigarette Cards commemorating the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary depicts the procession of the marriage of the future King George VI to the future Queen Mother.
The reverse of the card reads:
THE MARRIAGE OF THE DUKE OF YORK
The King’s second son, The Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, were married at Westminster Abbey on April 26, 1923. The bride drove with her father from Bruton Street to the Abbey in closed carriage, but on the return journey, the crowds along Piccadilly and Constitution Hill, cheering and showering confetti, saw her radiant and smiling at her husband’s side. The two were acclaimed anew on the balcony of Buckingham Palace where 123 guests attended the Wedding Breakfast. The last act of Lady Elizabeth before her marriage was to lay her bridal bouquet on the grave of the Unknown Warrior.
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| The Royal Collection |
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