Card of the Day: HRH The Duchess of York (The Queen Mother)

The sixth card of the 1935 Silver Jubilee series by Godfrey & Phillips depicts the Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother). The Duchess is shown in a charming ensemble of a blue gown and diamond tiara which she is wearing in the style of the mid-1930’s—over her forehead as opposed to high on the crown of her head.

In 1923 the former Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married Prince Albert, Duke of York—second son of King George V and Queen Mary. Elizabeth had been courted by Prince Albert for several years, continually refusing to marry him because she doubted she would enjoy the rigors of Royal life. However, love won out, much to the relief of Queen Mary who had stated that “Bertie” would never really be happy until Elizabeth consented to marry him. Though of noble birth, (her father was a Peer) Lady Elizabeth was not “Royal,” and her marriage to the Prince showed that, in allowing the heir presumptive to marry a legal commoner, the Crown was showing signs of modernization.

The Duke and Duchess of York on their honeymoon.
The Royal Collection

At the time of their marriage, King George V was alive and mostly well and everyone believed that the heir apparent—Edward, the Prince of Wales—would one day ascend the throne. Had Lady Elizabeth known that he brother-in-law would abdicate thirteen years later upon the death of her father-in-law and that her new husband would become King, she might have thought twice about the marriage. However, she threw herself into the unexpected task of being the Queen Consort and looked to her mother-in-law, Queen Mary, for guidance.

Mary adored her daughter-in-law and enjoyed their many visits together to museums, shops and antique stores. They two often dined together, and Mary wrote uncharacteristically affectionate notes to her new daughter. Elizabeth’s performance as Queen Consort was one of the things which softened Mary’s infinite disappointment following the abdication of her eldest son and his shocking marriage to Wallis Simpson (a fact with which Mary was never fully reconciled).

Throughout her long life, the Queen Mother (as she was known after the passing of her husband, King George VI) was one of the most beloved of the Royal Family—forever dedicated to her nation and her family until her death in March, 2002 at 101 years of age.