The Queen Mother Read online

  Praise for William Shawcross’s

  THE QUEEN MOTHER

  “A portrait of a remarkable life lived in step with a century of sweeping change.”

  —Bloomberg News

  “A colossal book about a colossal life, a spectacular journey across the entire twentieth century through the eyes of a thoughtful woman who took the hand of a shy royal understudy and was propelled through modern history.”

  —Daily Mail (London)

  “A behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Royal Family.… Fascinating reading.… Shawcross has written a remarkable book.”

  —Tucson Citizen

  “A wonderful book, authoritative, frank and entertaining. It sets new standards for royal biography.… Anyone who finds royal biographies dull and dutiful is in for a surprise.”

  —The Daily Telegraph (London)

  “[Written] with unprecedented access to the private papers of the Queen Mother.… Her life is seen here as a mirror of the twentieth century.”

  —New York Post

  “Shawcross has been given access to the Royal Archives and they have yielded a rich harvest.… [There is an] immense amount of new material here.… He is to be congratulated for selecting so many juicy tidbits.”

  —A. N. Wilson, Daily Mail

  “Engaging.… Colorful.… Delightful as well as dignified.”

  —The Washington Times

  “The correspondence in [The Queen Mother] is illuminating for both royal watchers and historians.… Divulges the Queen Mother’s opinions on topics ranging from feminism to homeopathy.”

  —Associated Press

  “Impressively researched.… Shawcross avoids the traps [of] hagiography.… He succeeds in the difficult task of keeping his subject resolutely centre stage in an elegant account.”

  —The Independent (London)

  “Shawcross’s journalistic skills are evident in the innumerable dabs of pointilliste detail.… There are many unexpected vignettes.… He serves his subject well.”

  —The Sunday Telegraph (London)

  “Offers new and fascinating insights into the woman behind the pearls and pastel dresses.”

  —Mail on Sunday

  WILLIAM SHAWCROSS

  THE QUEEN MOTHER

  Born in 1946, William Shawcross is an internationally renowned writer and broadcaster who appears regularly on television and radio. His articles have appeared in leading newspapers and journals throughout the world. He lives in London.

  www.williamshawcross.com

  FIRST VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION, NOVEMBER 2010

  Copyright © 2009 by William Shawcross

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in Great Britain in slightly different form as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: The Official Biography by Macmillan, an imprint of Pan Macmillan Ltd., London, and subsequently published in hardcover in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 2009.

  Vintage and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  Extracts from the letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by courtesy of

  The Royal Archives © Her Majesty The Queen.

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the Knopf edition as follows:

  Shawcross, William.

  The Queen Mother : the official biography / William Shawcross.—1st ed.

  p. cm.

  1. Elizabeth, Queen, consort of George VI, King of Great Britain, 1900–2002. 2. Queens—Great Britain—Biography. I. Title.

  DA585.A2 S46 2009

  2009934986

  eISBN: 978-0-307-27331-4

  www.vintagebooks.com

  v3.1

  She had all the royal makings of a Queen.

  Shakespeare, King Henry VIII, IV, i, 87

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  About the Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Epigraph

  List of Illustrations

  PREFACE

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  AN EDWARDIAN CHILDHOOD 1900–1914

  CHAPTER TWO

  TENDING THE WOUNDED 1914–1918

  CHAPTER THREE

  PRINCE ALBERT 1918–1923

  CHAPTER FOUR

  A ROYAL WEDDING 1923

  CHAPTER FIVE

  DUCHESS OF YORK 1923–1924

  CHAPTER SIX

  ON SAFARI 1924–1925

  PHOTO INSERT 1

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  BIRTH OF A PRINCESS 1925–1927

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  AN AUSTRALASIAN ASSIGNMENT 1927

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE LONG WEEKEND 1927–1936

  CHAPTER TEN

  ABDICATION 1936–1937

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  QUEEN CONSORT 1937–1939

  PHOTO INSERT 2

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ACROSS THE ATLANTIC 1939

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  THE QUEEN AT WAR 1939–1941

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  YEARS LIKE GREAT BLACK OXEN 1942–1945

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  WAR TO PEACE 1945–1947

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JOY AND SORROW 1947–1952

  PHOTO INSERT 3

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  QUEEN MOTHER 1952–1955

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  FAVOURITES 1956–1960

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE HEART OF THE MATTER

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  AT HOME

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  QUEEN VOYAGER 1961–1967

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  UNDER SCRUTINY 1968–1981

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  POETRY AND PAIN 1981–1999

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CENTENARIAN 1999–2002

  EPILOGUE

  Appendix A: Family Trees

  Appendix B: Queen Elizabeth’s Patronages

  NOTES

  SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

  COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  List of Illustrations

  1 Lord Strathmore (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  2 Lady Strathmore (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  3 Elizabeth Bowes Lyon in 1902 (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  4 The Strathmores at Glamis in 1907 (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  5 Elizabeth aged two (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  6 Elizabeth and David (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  7 Elizabeth with her brother Patrick and sister Rose (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  8 Elizabeth with her father on the cricket pitch at Glamis (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  9 Elizabeth in the gooseberry patch at St Paul’s Walden Bury (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  10 Beryl Poignand in 1915 (By courtesy of Richard Hall)

  11 Elizabeth with convalescent soldiers at Glamis in January 1915 (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  12 Elizabeth with convalescent soldiers at Glamis in 1916 (RCIN 2585074 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  13 A house party for the Forfar Ball (RCIN 2585027 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  14 Elizabeth with Arthur Penn and Freddy Dalrymple Hamilton (RCIN 2585042. Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  15 Elizabeth with her sister Rose Leveson Gower and friends (By courtesy of the Ear
l of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  16 With the Duke of York (RCIN 2585031.f © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  17 The Duke of York and Elizabeth at Glamis (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  18 The Duke of York and Elizabeth (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  19 A society page cutting showing the Duke of York as a guest at Glamis (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  20 Elizabeth at her first royal engagement (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  21 The Duke of York and Elizabeth (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  22 Elizabeth leaving Bruton Street for the Abbey (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  23 The bridal party immediately after the wedding (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  24 The bride and groom’s carriage (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  25 The wedding party on the balcony at Buckingham Palace (RCIN 2000694 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  26 Honeymooning at Polesden Lacey (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  27 Arthur Penn’s characteristic souvenir of the wedding © The Estate of Arthur Penn, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  28 On safari in Africa (RCIN 2585236.c © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  29 On safari in Africa, February 1925 (RCIN 2585236.e © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  30 The Duke and Duchess on safari (RCIN 2585241.c © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  31 The Duchess holding a monkey (RCIN 2585286 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  32 The Duchess with the Duke in tribal headdress (RCIN 2585256 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  33 Visiting the Makwar Dam (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

  34 The Duke and Duchess driving through Belfast (RCIN 2111407 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  35 The Duchess fishing at Tokaanu (Central Press/Getty Images)

  36 With the Duke at the State Opening of the Australian Parliament (Central Press/Getty Images)

  37 Returning from the Continent (RCIN 2585291 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  38 The Duke and Duchess (RCIN 2112042 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  39 The first photograph of the Duchess and the newborn Princess Elizabeth (RCIN 2111596 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  40 The Duchess with Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth (RCIN 2112011 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  41 The Duchess with the King and the Duke of York (Central Press/Getty Images)

  42 The Duke and Duchess visiting a shipyard (Central Press/Getty Images)

  43 The Duchess receiving an honorary D.Litt (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

  44 The Duchess with the Black Watch (By courtesy of the Trustees of the Black Watch Museum)

  45 Laying a wreath at the Cenotaph (RCIN 2111398 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  46 With disabled veterans of the First World War (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  47 The Duchess with Girl Guides and Brownies (RCIN 2591477 © Press Association Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  48 The Duchess lighting lamps for new branches of Toc H (Central Press/Getty Images)

  49 The Duchess of York playing with Princess Elizabeth (By courtesy of the Earl of Strathmore, digital image by P.J. Buxton)

  50 The Duchess, the Princesses and the Duchess of Kent (Keystone/Getty Images)

  51 The Duchess in the uniform of the St John Ambulance Brigade (RCIN 2000885 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  52 The Duchess with the Princesses (RCIN 2112405 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  53 Sir Oswald Birley’s portrait of the ‘Windsor Wets’ (RCIN 403396 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  54 The Duke, Duchess and the Princesses (RCIN 2112221 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  55 Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor (Keystone/Getty Images)

  56 The new King and Queen on the balcony at Buckingham Palace (Getty Images)

  57 The Queen with her train bearers (RCIN 2917420 © The Estate of Hay Wrightson. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  58 The Queen, photographed in July 1939 by Cecil Beaton (Getty Images/V&A)

  59 The Queen in Paris, July 1938. (RCIN 2940983 © Reserved/The Daily Sketch. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  60 The Queen launching the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth (RCIN 2000889 © Press Association Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  61 The King and Queen on the Royal Train (RCIN 2704485 © The Toronto Evening Telegraph. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  62 Queen Elizabeth with Eleanor Roosevelt (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  63 The King and Queen talking to a shipyard worker (RCIN 2000647. Keystone Press/Getty Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  64 The Queen on a wartime tour of south London (RCIN 2001238 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  65 ‘Dear old B.P. is still standing!’ (Fox Photos/Getty Images)

  66 The Queen visiting an air-raid shelter (Keystone Press/Getty Images)

  67 The King and Queen talking to young air-raid victims (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

  68 The King and Queen visiting a bomb site (Central Press/Getty Images)

  69 With the Princesses at a wartime poetry reading (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  70 The Princesses on stage in the 1944 Windsor Castle pantomime (RCIN 2506265 © Studio Lisa/Getty Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  71 VE Day (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  72 ‘We four’ on tour in South Africa (RCIN 2591692. South African Railways. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  73 The King and Queen en route to St Paul’s Cathedral (Fox Photos/Getty Images)

  74 The Queen presenting the King with a cup (RCIN 2000686 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  75 Four generations of the Royal Family at the christening of Princess Anne (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

  76 The three Queens awaiting the coffin of King George VI, February 1952 (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  77 The Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace (RCIN 2591488 © Press Association Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  78 Manning a stall at the Abergeldie Bazaar (RCIN 2000910 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  79 Queen Elizabeth at the Castle of Mey (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

  80 On tour in Rhodesia (RCIN 2591452 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  81 Arriving at the Vatican (RCIN 2591114 © Publifoto, Milan. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  82 With Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones (Central Press/Getty Images)

  83 Queen Elizabeth and her horse Devon Loch (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

  84 With the jockey Dick Francis (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

  85 Backstage at the Royal Ballet (RCIN 2001817. Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  86 Progressing through the Melbourne suburbs (RCIN 2591320 © The Herald and The Sun News-Pictorial, Melbourne. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  87 In Rotorua (RCIN 2591823 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  88 In Canada (RCIN 2591177 © Alex Gleeson. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  89 With the Duchess of Kent at Sandringham Women’s Institute Flower Show (RCIN 2591060 © Reserved/The Royal Collection

  90 Celebrating St Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards (RCIN 2591515 © Press Association Images. Photograph: The Royal Collection)

  91 A birthday lunch in the gardens of Clarence House (RCIN 2591202 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  92 With the chefs of the Hôtél de la Reserve in Albi (RCIN 2591071 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  93 A farewell lunch at the Chateau de Saran (RCIN 2591301 © Reserved/The Royal Collection)

  94 Queen Elizabeth at the pageant to celebrate her 100th birthday (Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images)

  PREFACE
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  HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN did me the signal honour, in July 2003, of inviting me to write the official biography of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. I was given unrestricted access both to Queen Elizabeth’s papers and to members of her family, Household and staff. I am deeply grateful to The Queen for the help I have received, and I thank The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, The Princess Royal, The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, The Duchess of Cornwall, Viscount Linley, Lady Sarah Chatto and The Earl of Snowdon for their invaluable assistance. I thank The Queen for permission to quote from material in the Royal Archives, as well as from letters in other collections subject to her copyright, and, above all, I thank Her Majesty for giving me absolute freedom to write as I wished.

  The Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth’s private and official papers are housed, are at the top of a long steep staircase in the Round Tower. I have rarely worked in a more delightful place. During my numerous visits there I was treated with the greatest patience by the Registrar, Pam Clark, and her staff, including Jill Kelsey, Allison Derrett and Angie Barker, and by the former Curator of the Royal Photograph Collection, Frances Dimond. The present Curator, Sophie Gordon, and the Assistant Curator, Lisa Heighway, with Paul Stonell and Alessandro Nasini have done sterling work providing illustrations from Queen Elizabeth’s photograph collection.

  Among the papers to which I was given access in the Royal Archives were the transcripts of conversations which Queen Elizabeth had in 1994 and 1995 with Eric Anderson, who had just retired as head master of Eton College. These, together with Queen Elizabeth’s letters to her family and friends,* were vitally important in providing her own commentary on her life.

  At Glamis Castle, ancestral home of the Bowes Lyon family, by kindness of the eighteenth Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne I was able to read more of Queen Elizabeth’s letters among her parents’ papers, as well as other family correspondence which shed light on her early life. I was greatly assisted in my research there by the Archivist, Jane Anderson, who also provided valuable help with picture research. My thanks are due to Lord Strathmore for permission to quote from papers at Glamis and to reproduce photographs from his family albums. Many members of his family were very kind to me; they include his mother Mary, Dowager Countess of Strathmore, who answered my innumerable questions about the family, and his sister Lady Elizabeth Leeming, to whom I am deeply indebted. On my behalf she carried out superb research in the archives at Glamis and elsewhere, interviewed members of her family, and compiled a series of richly informative notes on the family and its homes. Her expertise as both a researcher and an editor was invaluable throughout.