The final piece in our Queen Mother series sees us focus on the last few years of her life in the 2000s, her death and legacy she left behind.
Our post begins in early 2000 when The Queen Mother celebrated her centenary. She was the first member of the Royal Family to reach her 100th birthday and was said to be “very pleased” to celebrate such an occasion.
There were some minor concerns for her health earlier in the year when she cancelled an engagement after catching a cold. She had become ill while spending the Christmas and New Year holiday at the Royal Sandringham Estate.
To celebrate her centenary, celebrations took place all over the United Kingdom with sacks of
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
cards and presents being delivered to Clarence House, the Queen Mother’s official residence.
Among all of the presents and cards was a hand-written telegram from Queen Elizabeth II congratulating her mother on reaching the landmark celebration.
Over 40,000 people gathered in the Mall to watch the Queen Mother and her daughters, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, step onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace. She was accompanied here on a horse drawn carriage with her grandson, Prince Charles, from Clarence House.
To celebrate the centenary, a 21-gun salute was fired from Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland and from Cardiff City Hall. Also, a race at Glorious Goodwood was named after the Queen Mother to mark her birthday.
A few months after her historic birthday in November 2000, the Queen Mother fell over and broke her collarbone as a result. This accident kept het at home for a while in order to make a recovery. There was a further health scare just a couple of days before her 101st birthday also when she had to undergo a blood transfusion for anaemia. She quickly recovered from this.
At the age of 101, the Queen Mother’s final public engagement was attending the re-commissioning of HMS Ark Royal on 22 November 2001.A month later she fractured her pelvis in a fall.
Tragedy struck The Royal Family in early 2002 when it was announced that Princess Margaret had died ‘peacefully in her sleep’ at the age of 71.
Despite being extremely unwell and frail, the Queen Mother was determined to travel from Norfolk to Windsor to attend her daughter’s funeral. In the end, she managed to attend Margaret’s funeral – arriving by helicopter.
30 March 2002 – Buckingham Palace announced on this day that the Queen Mother had died peacefully in her sleep at 3.15 in afternoon at the age of 101. After recently suffering from ill health and a chest infection, her condition deteriorated in the morning and doctors were called in.
The Queen was at her mother’s bedside when she passed away and Buckingham Palace released the following statement:
“The Queen, with the greatest sadness, has asked for the following announcement to be made immediately: her beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth, died peacefully in her sleep this afternoon at Royal Lodge, Windsor. Members of the royal family have been informed.”
“Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother had become increasingly frail in recent weeks following her bad cough and chest infection over Christmas.”
“Her condition deteriorated this morning and her doctors were called. Queen Elizabeth died peacefully in her sleep at 3.15 this afternoon at Royal Lodge. The Queen was at her mother’s bedside.”
Five days after her death, her body was laid-in-state after her coffin arrived at Westminster Hall. An estimated 200,000 visited the coffin to pay their last respects.
On the eve of her funeral, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex and Viscount Linley stood guard at the Queen Mother’s coffin in the Vigil of the Princes.
On April 9 2002, the Queen Mother was laid to rest in Windsor alongside her husband King George VI. On the previous day, more than a million people turned out to pay their respects along the funeral route and many more observed two minutes’ silence in her honour.
So as we reach the end of our Life in Decades series, we remember the Queen Mother for the advice and guidance she gave which helped the Royal Family though challenging times. It has been 13 years now since her death but it is still obvious that the current Royal Family still recognise and commemorate the woman who was at the heart of this nation for over a century.
Photo Credit: Royal Photography by Paul Ratcliffe
