The Queen Mother from 1 to 101 years old

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite BowesLyon (August 4, 1900 March 30, 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from 1936 to 1952 as the wife of King George VI. As George s wife, she was the last empress of India. After her husband died, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Born into a family of British nobility, she came to prominence in 1923 when she married the Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. The couple had two daughters: Elizabeth and Margaret. The Duchess undertook a variety of public engagements and became known for her consistently cheerful countenance. In 1936, Elizabeth s husband unexpectedly became king when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth then became Queen. After the world war II, her husband s health deteriorated, and she was widowed at the age of 51. Her elder daughter, aged 25, became th