“The children will not leave unless I do. I shall not leave unless their father does, and the King will not leave the country in any circumstances whatever.”
--Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, during the Second World War
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was never meant to be Queen Consort. In fact, it’s a role to which she never aspired. Elizabeth shied away from Royal life altogether. Though she was the daughter of a Peer of England, and therefore a “Lady,” Elizabeth Bowes Lyon refused the proposal of marriage of Albert, the Duke of York because she couldn’t stand the thought of the restrictions of Royal life, stating that she was, “afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to.” The Duke of York’s mother, Queen Mary, stated that Elizabeth was “the one girl who could make Bertie happy,” upon visiting with Elizabeth, but decided to let the young couple work it out for themselves. Bertie proposed again, but was refused. The third time brought the desired answer. She agreed to the marriage and became the Duchess of York, and was content to be so. A devoted mother, she loathed leaving her daughters Princess Elizabeth (now Queen) and Princess Margaret Rose to carry out her official duties, but did so without complaint because of her fierce devotion to both her husband and her nation.
Elizabeth was known for her slightly quirky, impulsive, but utterly charming behavior—actions which endeared her to people around the globe. For example, in Fiji, while the future Queen consort was shaking hands with a long, dull line of officials, a stray dog wandered past. She paused to shake the dog’s paw as well—an act which made her quite popular with the people of Fiji.
Both Elizabeth and Bertie preferred a quiet life at home, but their peaceful existence was compromised following the death of the Duke’s father, King George V and the accession of his eldest brother as King Edward VIII—a short-lived situation which ended in abdication and the unexpected coronation of Bertie and Elizabeth as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
That occasion is commemorated with this china cup. Bearing portraits of the King and Queen Consort above the date of their coronation and flanked by symbols of the Empire, this cup, on the reverse, shows the cipher of King George VI nestled below the Imperial crown and the flags of the Monarch and Britain.
No comments:
Post a Comment