Lydia Starbuck

As the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II passes, the focus changes. A year was traditionally the formal period of court mourning. Once it was done, the grieving clothes were put away and things altered. It is no longer just a matter of missing the Monarch who is gone. The shift turns to a different form of remembrance. And that has brought, almost immediately, discussion about…

In the first days of the summer of 1939, an accident befell the Royal Family that led to a widespread outpouring of sympathy. Queen Mary, mother of King George VI, was involved in a car crash. Her son was touring Canada as the country prepared for what felt like a growing inevitability of war when the dowager’s car collided with another vehicle. Queen Mary, in the back seat, was badly bruised…