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British Royals

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: A Life in Decades – 1920s

As we continue our series on The Queen Mother, the next decade to be examined is the 1920s. Also known as the roaring twenties in some parts of the world.

The 1920s was an interesting time for Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyons. What makes Elizabeth such a fascinating figure was that she had no interest in being Royal. Elizabeth can be considered to be a free thinker, a concept that had an impact on her relationship with Prince Albert.

At the onset of the 1920s Prince Albert was ready to propose to Elizabeth, and did so in 1921. Much to his dismay Elizabeth turned down his proposal, mainly because she felt the freedom she had enjoyed her entire life would no longer exist. Marrying into royalty was a demanding obligation, which Elizabeth understood to be life changing. Just when Elizabeth thought she had moved on from her relationship with Prince Albert, he vowed to never marry anyone else. This gesture spoke volumes because although she was a member of the peerage, Elizabeth was not royal. Their relationship marked a change in the aristocratic nature of the British monarchy, thus modernizing The Royal Family.

In the time between ending her relationship with Prince Albert and their marriage a few years later, Elizabeth found herself being courted by James Stuart. It is clear that her heart still cared for Albert, because when he moved to the Americas Elizabeth found her way back to her Prince. What makes their love story amazing was that Prince Albert’s mother, Queen Mary, visited the young Elizabeth to see the woman who had won the heart of her son. After visiting Elizabeth, Queen Mary knew she was the only person who could make her son happy, but did not meddle in the outcome of their relationship. The fact that Queen Mary was willing to accept her into the Royal family was a huge step towards modernization of the monarchy, and no doubt set an example for future generations.

When asked to be a part of Princess Mary’s wedding in 1922, Prince Albert chose to propose again, but Elizabeth refused his proposal for a second time. Finally in January 1923, Elizabeth agreed to marry her beloved Prince Albert, also known as Bertie. Upon marrying Albert, Elizabeth never expected she would someday become Queen, or that she would give birth to a future Queen also.

After being engaged for a few months, Elizabeth became the Duchess of York on 26 April 1923, in the famed Westminster Abbey. On the day of her wedding, Elizabeth got ready in her family home before heading to Westminster, which demonstrated her down to earth values. Those down to earth values served her well, and gave her an upbringing free of Royal obligation. Although their wedding was the first to be held at Westminster, they had the luxury of having no media present because of the time period. Considering the couple never thought they would become anything more than the Duke and Duchess of York, their wedding most certainly did not have the pomp and circumstance given to future monarchs. This young couple were never destined to head the British Monarchy, but eventually did so together.

In the time between their wedding and the birth of their first child, the newly married couple embarked on several Royal tours. Initially, the couple visited Northern Ireland in the summer of 1924, followed by tour to East Africa. Due to speech problems the Duke of York found it difficult to deliver speeches, but with the help of the Duchess he sought the treatment of a therapist, Lionel Logue. Lionel Logue was not just Prince Albert’s speech therapist, he became a lifelong friend and what’s more by the time the couple visited Australia, the Duke of York’s speech problems had vastly improved and he spoke flawlessly to the public. Elizabeth proved to be an invaluable asset to The Royal Family, making her and the Duke a modern day power couple.

By 1926 the couple’s first daughter was born, a little girl named Elizabeth who would eventually inherit the crown from her father. In 1930 a daughter named Margret was born, creating an idyllic Royal quartet. Globally the 1920s were a tumultuous decade, but the union of Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth created stability and hope that would carry into the 1930s.

Featured Photo Credit: Thomas’s Pics via photopin cc