The Queen Mother: Her Life in 100 Years | A Century Of Queen Mother | Real Royalty

for some the queen-mother is an enduring symbol of regal grace and feminine charm others like Princess Diana detected a more forceful character I think Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is the original English Steel Magnolias perhaps I could translate it out of southern states American she's an English Rose inside a steel spectacle case you don't live until you're 99 unless you're tough I think she's got a core of Steel I think that she is a woman he is very conscious of what she's able to do she is very feminine in some ways she is almost a flirt almost at ease and I think she's been that all her life as Duchess of York Queen consort and Queen Mother the former Lady Elizabeth bowes-lyon has spent most of her adult life and royal duty ever gracious and always smiling she's created a unique rapport with the public despite being as old as a century she is refused to retire what is the secret of her vivacity she actually enjoys life she takes huge pleasure in relatively little thing she loves horse racing she loves God she obviously loves clothes she's not unfashionable she's not old she transcends fashion like another Queen Elizabeth greatest the first she's got a motto the motto of Queen Liz but the first was if I dare use Latin semper eadem always the same and I think really it could be the motto of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother when Elizabeth was born in 1900 Queen Victoria was the reigning monarch the Queen died the following year Edward the seventh took the throne with his beautiful Queen Alexandra in 1910 their son became King George the fifth he was king during World War one he changed the Royal Family's Germanic name saxe-coburg-gotha to the House of Windsor st. Paul's warden Barry was one of several houses of the Earl and Countess of Strathearn family it was the earliest term of their ninth child Elizabeth Angela Marguerite their first daughter had died and their new little girl with her appealing looks and gentle manner was especially adored she was very close to her mother and I think perhaps she was a bit spoiled because she was a very charming child and all that servants adored her she was to go into the kitchen and beg for extra jellies and cream and things like that I think because of her great charm she could get away with anything gloms castle in scotland with its secret rooms and ancient ghosts was another Strathmore home every summer Elizabeth's family gathered here holding shooting parties they had afternoon tea in the Great Hall a treat for Elizabeth and her younger brother David the bird's lands were a very old family going back to God knows whom in Scotland and they were also very rich they had come into money rather fortunately as well as having a lot of land and they owned several castles a huge house in San James's square in London interesting enough they weren't terribly impressed by the royal family her father didn't really think much of the royal family so at the time that they were thought that she might marrying the royal family he wasn't especially impressed by that because they were really aristocrats in their own right and had come down they were descended from King Bruce of the Scots and so really very very grand family World War one broke out in August 1914 on Elizabeth's 14th birthday she helped to nurse wounded soldiers sent to recover at gloms later she wrote to one of them dear Harding thank you so much for your letter I am sorry that she can't find a job it seems to be very difficult now Elizabeth became one of the most eligible girls of her time she was very petite and small and she had a pretty heart-shaped face beautiful blue eyes and a lovely complexion dark hair which she award a rather old-fashioned way for those days with a fringe but she had this sort of rage in detraction she had this great power even then of making people feel that she was concentrating on them that she was only interested in them which is one of the most attractive qualities you can have King George the fifth and Queen Mary were enchanted by Elizabeth their own children had been strictly brought up creating personality problems Bertie their second son was very shy David the Prince of Wales was more rebellious he met Elizabeth and liked her but they never fell in love even then he preferred more sophisticated women it was Bertie who fell for Elizabeth's exceptional charms she was really the center of masculine attention a lot of men were in love with her she was a great Debian in her day when he met her fell in love with her absolutely instantly and he was with all his failings because he was a very different very shy very reserved man but he was always a very determined man and once having fallen in love with her he was determined to marry her so he asked her three times and for the first two occasion she refused she didn't really want to be caught in this kind of royal cage she was a woman who was used to her independence she didn't really want to lead the restricted kind of life which marrying into the royal family would mean but he was very persistent the Duke of York and he simply kept at her and kept at her and kept at her and in the end she agreed she rarely loved him he had a very vulnerable quality which is very appealing to some women and he did really need her and then he was physically attractive he had a very good figure he danced very well he was a athletic he dressed very well and he was a really a good guy on April the 26 1923 Elizabeth set out for her wedding at Westminster Abbey it was the first royal wedding of the century Elizabeth was now Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York for over a decade she would be the King and queens only daughter-in-law adored by her husband and cherished by his family the York's became the focus of public attention it was a really a very popular Madge because the Prince of Wales his brother wasn't married at the time so there was rather pressure really on on the Duke of York to marry so when they married it Pacific rate a great public occasion the public were very taken with it because she was very very beautiful he was a good-looking man it was a kind of romantic romantic wedding and uh very popular the Duke and Duchess were the rising stars of the new House of Windsor Elizabeth known as the smiling Duchess was her husband's mainstay she was so good for Bertie she brought him out she supported him she made his life fun she made everything go around him and I suppose there must have been a bit worried because he'd had history of bad health because he stammered and was very shy and so nobody could have been more ideal than she was for him Queen Mary formed a close bond with her son's wife now the mother of Princess Elizabeth born on April the 21st 1926 the Duchess gave birth to a second daughter Princess Margaret rose in August 1930 the king and queen were delighted with the little princesses marriage transformed Bertie's life most of all Elizabeth gave him the stability of a happy home and a precious family in private they say that he was a man who could be quite easy quite amusing quite quite at ease with himself in private but in public he had none of us she was exactly the opposite she had all the strengths where he had the weaknesses and as she was in any way a a domineering woman she wasn't anyway a hard woman she knew exactly how to handle him she knew exactly how to bring out his strength so we're very very good together it was a very very successful marriage he said many years later when Queen Elizabeth three and his daughter Elizabeth married Prince Philip he said your mother is the most wonderful woman in the world I think this is perfectly true they were a devoted couple Bertie referred to his family as us for their main role was to support his aging parents in their duties especially in the absence of the Prince of Wales who had other interests David the Prince of Wales had drifted a long way from his highly moral family so far his affairs with married women had remained hidden from public view the Prince of Wales liked married women he liked bossy women he liked women who in a way could order him about he fell for an American divorcee still married to her second husband mrs. Wallis Simpson was scorned by Elizabeth I don't think she approved of mrs. Wallis Simpson at all in fact I don't think she ever really liked her she was perfectly happy about some of the Prince of Wales's mistresses like fellow milady finesse who was an American divorcee she looked perfectly happy her but there was something about Wallis that she didn't like and I think she did not like the way that Wallis took over David's life entirely and separated him from his brothers while George v lived the issue of David's love life was avoided but at 70 the King's health was fading on January the 20th 1936 the king was dying following bulletin was issued at 9:25 the King's life is moving peacefully towards its close George the faith's funeral was solemn and dignified Britain's said farewell to a much respected monarch who had held firm in a war fought against his own cousin the German Kaiser the King's legacy of Duty above all else fell to David now King Edward the aides our late sovereign lord king george v of blessed and glorious memory that the high and mighty prince edward albert christian George Andrew Patrick David is now king by this of God of Great Britain Ireland and the British dominions Elizabeth avoided the new Kings mistress there was a story about one occasion when he had been become king he was then King Edward the eighth and gave a dinner party at Balmoral to which the Duke and Duchess of York as I then were were invited and what a Simpson behaved like the hostess she came forward to meet the York's to to welcome to Balmoral and the Duchess of York read aloud to do this simply walk past her and I've come to have dinner with a king and simply walked past Wallis Simpson absolutely ignored her never never never liked her at all outwardly Edward the eighth followed his father's traditions he kept up the ceremonial side of his role but he was a king in conflict with his government church and family his love for Wallis now twice divorced caused a constitutional crisis after the Bishop of Norwich spoke out the King abdicated which have impelled me to renounce the throne but you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I ear would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love now in virtual exile the former King married his mistress in France in June 1937 they were given the titles Duke and Duchess of Windsor but Wallace was denied the prefix Her Royal Highness by the new monarch this was the source of lasting animosity with Bertie and Elizabeth now the king and queen roles they had never expected from the start when the Prince of Wales wasn't married and got old and old and still wasn't a there was a thought that her husband that the Duke of York might become king so there he was a thought in the back of her mind but even so it came as a great shock when actually these when the abdication happened and they were called upon to be king and queen on December the 11th 1936 but he chose the name King George the 6th to stress continuity with his deceased father and to distance himself from his abdicated brother Elizabeth was ill in bed she said I'm afraid there are going to be great changes in our lives we must take what is coming to us and make the best of it the coronation took place on the 12th of May 1937 to the king and queen the ceremony was a sacrament they vowed to God in their country a pledge of lifelong duty Elizabeth sent that a difficult time lay ahead she knew her husband very well she knew his frailties she knew that he was terribly shy that he had in fact crowd phobia and he didn't like that and so she could see the enormous burden that will be placed on this not very strong foreign tours added the burden of international scrutiny but the king knew that his wife's extraordinary charm would smooth the way in June 1938 they were due to make a state visit to France when the Queen heard that her mother the Countess of stress with Europe on the brink of war they knew the importance of cementing relations with France the royal couple bravely continued their plans they decided not to cancel the tour but it went ahead a Norman Hartnell worked through his all his reference books and found that thought first of all or we have to make everything in black and then he decided no he found that white was a morning color for the royal family as well so he made the entire wardrobe everything was copied in white she absolutely swept the press off their feet the French adored her and she looked so glamorous it's probably the most striking royal tour that's ever happened anywhere the King changed his wife and their family gave him the warmth and comfort he had not known as a child the little princesses he adored grew up into attractive young women their mother was their role model she was very close to her daughters giving them both guidance and practical knowledge the family life of Elizabeth and Margaret Orr was of course known as Mary Rose seems to have been as near idyllic as it was possible to be their father was incredibly soft tender indulgent particularly with the younger daughter with Princess Margaret their mother in many ways seems to have been by the standards of the 20s or 30s almost more of a friend to them than either a formal mother the Queen our present Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret the one thing they can't blame their problems on is their own unhappy childhoods because they weren't in 1937 the Duke and Duchess of Windsor upset the royal family and the British government by visiting Hitler in Germany in June 1939 the king and queen visited the White House and the US President Franklin Roosevelt on this trip they won a crucial Ally for Britain they also visited Canada showing unity in the threat of war which was only months away the king had grown into his role and the Queen had a genius for publicity they had risen to the task but the real test lay ahead [Music] meanwhile in kin and other resorts on the Cote d'Azur the show went on for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor now regarded with suspicion they did think at the time that there might be something treasonable in them because during the war at the beginning of the war the Duke and Duchess Windsor were they paid a visit to Nazi Germany they'd been seen together with Hitler and there was this theory that if Britain lost the war that Hitler might put the Duke and Duchess of Windsor on the throne and the royal family took this very very seriously indeed Europe social attractions were interrupted in 1940 when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor was sent to the Bahamas where the Duke spent the war as governor Queen Elizabeth regarded Wallis Simpson as unfit even to be a governor's wife but at least they were out of the way [Music] war brought separations men went to fight and children were evacuated from the cities everyone looked to the royal family for morale and leadership in 1940 Buckingham Palace suffered a direct hit Queen Mary had been sent to badminton a safe house Elizabeth wrote to her my darling mama I hardly know how to begin to tell you of the horrible attack on Buckingham Palace this morning Bertie and I arrived there a quarter to 11:00 and he and I went up to our poor windowless rooms while the King believed that victory would come the strain of the war took its toll on him he was a heavy smoker I don't think she tried to stop him smoking very much and I don't think she realized probably how bad it was for him when it came to the drinking the drinking didn't affect his daily life didn't affect his work he used to like a good hearty swig out of the whiskey decanter and evening particularly at regimental dinners when it came to his fits of temper she was one of the few people who could calm him whenever he was in a temper they say that she would teasingly take his pulse and go tick tick tick tick tick just to make him laugh at himself he took herself very seriously he took everything extremely seriously she got a more buoyant night she tends to throw things off so they're really there they complement each other wonderfully well where he was short-tempered she really was kind of as calm as the day was long a very easy woman I think delivers and this is exactly the kind of person he needed he was a tremendous warrior she was a woman who simply had a way of casting off her warriors a very equitable temperate the Queen set an example to the people in every area of public life Hitler regarded her as the most dangerous woman in Europe he felt that she had the king by VIN King George Essex under her thumb he thought that she was as indeed she was a very strong-minded woman and that her husband Dirk in Georgia six was a rather weak-minded weak minded man and so he was very conscious of the fact that she might have been the power behind the throne Hitler was of any conscience that she was a woman of considerable strength of character which indeed she was despite the dangers the king and queen refused to leave Britain like all their subjects the King had a ration book and the Queen had dress coupons although she still set a style which is very very careful not to appear as if they were ultra privileged during the war that you know they would appear to all the rationing the conditions you know the petrol and all sorts of things not for a moment did the Queen stop her personal war effort everywhere she went people admired her warmth and sympathy she even used the coded language of fashion to inspire her outfit is very very it's quite glamorous and I think it's a touch of almost understanding that the detailing on top of the Hat is it looks like some design from an RAF insignia and so you'd often get people on a on a different version wearing sweetheart badges which looked like they had a wing of a an aeroplane or something on it she's done you know a bigger version of that it's like you know there's like a moral support thing hats were one of the few things that weren't rationed during the war so perhaps it was the type of thing that other people could see well at least they could perhaps you know aim to have a hat like that people wouldn't make their own hats or they would adapt old hats so I think it's keeping her letting people know that she still was in touch with what was happening to everyday people and a very tiny little hat George Lee place was quite it looks cheeky I don't know whether that was the intention but it's it's quite fashionable you know small hats and big clunky shoes were you know during the 40s everybody was wearing them Bertie proved a remarkable King with the support of Elizabeth who even arranged speech therapy to help him reduce his stammer all her efforts as a wartime queen were awarded when Nazi Germany's surrendered to the Allies in 1945 at one minute after midnight tonight Tuesday the 8th of May but in the interests of saving lives the ceasefire began yesterday to be founded along all the fronts the German war is therefore at an end [Music] [Applause] the king queen and their daughters appeared on the palace balcony with Prime Minister Winston Churchill to deafening Cheers [Applause] in 1947 the royal family left Britain for the first time in eight years the three-week cruise gave them time to relax and unwind after the ordeals of war [Music] Princess Elizabeth would celebrate her 21st birthday away from home as ever the Queen kept smiling but she knew that the king had lost weight and his health was already in decline the two-month tour ahead in South Africa then a British Dominion would prove very demanding for him everywhere they went people greeted the royal family firm as a young boy Thea Aronson recalls one occasion we drove there through heat in the dust one day to this terrible railway society not a blade of grass not a tree just this desolate country all around and about 20 of us waited there for the train to come in the King got our word an ordinary little little summer suit and the princesses got out just where'd an ordinal it'll cotton or linen dresses but the Queen yesterday a garden party tremendous ostrich feather hat and floating paddle ostrich feathers and pearls and jewels and high-heeled shoes and quite right too she had come 6,000 miles to be on that very spot on that very day 32 years later I met her I tell this little story and I said the first time I'd seen you I said you step off that train and I thought you'd looked like a million dollars and she felt how she laughed and laughed as mr. Aaronson we said seldom here that kind of spontaneous remark that's all I ever seem worthwhile on [Music] official occasions all the family dressed up outshining stage and screen stars at premiers came effortlessly to Queen Elizabeth this was the kind of event she always enjoyed she loved mixing with theatrical people who found her enchanting with her easygoing manners and famous charm while the world of entertainment celebrated its glamour icons the Queen had her own signature style she was a fashion icon in the kind of way that people like the fluff found the crinolines and the hats with the ostrich feather and the soft turquoise blue and the high heels you knew with us or other mini mouths look to say that she was a fashion icon like Jackie Kennedy it would be of course not true Princess Elizabeth fell in love with the exiled and panelist Prince Philip of Greece then a serving officer in the Royal Navy at the beginning they weren't too eager I think they thought that that the present Queen was too young really she was really admit some other men but but but the president Queen I mean they thought it was absolutely determined to marry Philip and so in the end they they liked him he was a kind of he was kind of man's man that that King George a6 liked Philips uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten known as Dicky was married to the heiress Edwina Ashley the Queen thought them rather presumptuous she had certain reservations about his Uncle Louie and his aunt Edwina Mountbatten she thought that Dickie about that was pushy and ambitious and tried to get perhaps too much advantage out of Bertie who was very fond of him and she disapproved very much of Edwina who she thought was a champagne socialist and while fast [Music] on November the 20th 1947 Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married in Westminster Abbey it was the spectacular wedding which symbolized the end of an era of austerity for the nation and prompted fresh happiness for the royal family the bride wore a fabulous embroidered gown and the Queen lent her a royal heirloom there is a strong tradition for a bride to wear something borrowed on her wedding day and for princess Elizabeth's wedding she she was lent a fabulous diamond sunray fringe tiara that was originally set with diamonds in 1830s the Hanoverian tiara and that was handed down to Queen Victoria and through the royal family it's very Bridal it does it does frame the face beautifully and is a very fitting ornament to a wedding day the Queen knew that the family firm of us four must now include Philip at 47 she knew she would never have a son of her own Princess Elizabeth would succeed the King as monarch Queen Mary knew that thanks to Bertie and Elizabeth the monarchy was secure in 1948 they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary the king only 53 and already suffering the early symptoms of his final illness bravely made a speech has been made the occasion of a worldwide expression of kindly goodwill toward that which has greatly moved it has been an unforgettable experience to realize how many thousands of people there are in this world who wish to join in the thankfulness we feel for the 25 years of supremely happy married life which have been granted to us in November 1948 Princess Elizabeth gave birth to her first child Prince Charles now a grandmother Queen Elizabeth had a new and important role she doted on the little boy two years later his sister Princess Anne was born as this new era began another was soon to end On January the 31st 1952 Princess Elizabeth flew to Kenya on behalf of her sick father she would never see him again [Music] the king died in his sleep at Sandringham just six days later it was announced from Sanrio at 10:45 today February 6 1952 that the king who retired to rest last night in his usual health passed peacefully away in his sleep early this morning among those in the funeral procession was the Duke of Windsor honoring the brother who had taken on the heavy burden of duty in his place the Duchess was not invited the Queen Mother as Queen Elizabeth now became known blamed the Duchess and most of all the Duke of Windsor for the Kings early death I think she certainly believed that the Duke of Windsor by his irresponsibility and abdicating and leaving the throne to George the six had shortened her husband's life she absolutely seriously believed this and there's a certain element of truth in it because of the strain he went through particularly during the war when he was informed by Churchill of exactly what was happening I think this worry and the excessive smoking this kind of thing did shorten his life he was a tremendous warrior and borne down by the whole responsibility of being keen I'm absolutely sure it shortened his life yes it was for a man of his nature who had the stammer who was very shy it was a tremendous responsibility and although she did absolutely everything to ease his path I'm absolutely sure that being king shortened his life and she knew the society always bore grudge against the then Duke and Duchess of Windsor because they had shortened the life of her husband on June the 2nd 1953 the world witnessed her eldest daughter crowned Queen Elizabeth the second it was the first televised coronation the Queen Mother guided her four-year-old grandson Charles throughout the long service much was expected of the young Queen only 26 at her coronation she would need the experience and support of her mother [Applause] family unity so much on display that day would soon be tested by the time of the 1947 voyage to South Africa Princess Margaret was falling in love with her father Zachary Group Captain Peter Townsend a married man after the King's death Townsend divorced his wife working for the Queen Mother at her new home Clarence House he was now closely involved with Margaret it all cave was a great surprise to the royal family really because it had been I mean a secret love affair between Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend and the Queen Mother really had no idea at the beginning of this was going on under her very nose because they were all together there in Karen's house he was the controller the Queen mother's controller in Karen's house so it came as a complete surprise and what the Queen Mother did which she does on many occasions simply turn her back on the home she simply put it out of her mind the Queen Mother has always had her eye on history and has always wanted it to be known that she is above reproach and to have involved herself in a scandal which it was at that time which was likely to bring down the royal family or at least certainly severely damaged the royal family Margaret had married tanzen I think she wanted to say as clear from it as possible princess märtha was determined really to marry Peter Townsend at an early stage she felt it just wasn't right for all sorts of reasons and in the end of course they prevailed upon Princess Margaret and she gave him up my sister the Queen didn't put any pressure on her at all Princess Margaret's actual own Christian faith and I think sense of her royal position were the factors that decided her I don't think she wanted to become a housewife and Townsend would know if had any money the Queen Mother was overjoyed when Margaret then almost 30 fell in love with society photographer Antony armstrong-jones you their engagement was announced in February 1960 and the wedding took place on May the 6th the bridegroom was created Earl of Snowdon they had two children David and Sarah but the Snowden's would divorce eighteen years later however the Queen Mother retained her affection for her son-in-law the Queen Mother always adored him and because he was fun because he was artistic she likes people with taste and so much did she like him that when things were going badly and I think after they were even divorced and Princess Margaret used to get quite cross because her mother went on entertaining and some chances there nothing had happened the Duke and Duchess of Windsor often travelled to New York but they made their permanent home in Paris here they entertained on a grand scale they sold their memoirs and was sometimes interviewed the Duchess never forgot her husband's royal status I remember coming back from China with all the defense's trip to he died in May 1972 aged 77 in death he returned to the royal family he was buried in well ground at Frogmore near Windsor Castle according to his wishes but nothing could reverse the fact that he had been estranged from his family only 18 months had separated him in age from his younger brother but he outlived Bertie by 20 years some blame the Queen Mother for the long rift between the royal brothers I think she certainly had the amount of influence in keeping the Duke of Windsor out of England she mistakenly believed that he was still would attract people and would make her husband less popular than he was in comparison seem seemingly dull and the sort of thing I think she must calculated Prince Charles was the queen mother's favorite although she adored all six of her grandchildren he became the son she never had it was to her that he always turned for love and affection particularly when he was sent away to boarding school in Scotland he was at school at Gordon stone which he detested he was terribly lonely he was bullied he was absolutely miserable and he would go and stay with her at Burke Hall and she would encourage him and encourage his taste in music and generally cherish him and I think she saw in him the same sort of vulnerability that her husband had had and they were very close he was a great favorite with her and I think she encouraged me in many ways that his parents didn't they were rather conventional than the Queen and Prince Philip had very conventional tastes on her what young men should be the Queen Mother appreciated his softer more artistic side I think he she certainly encouraged him as a young man [Applause] many of Charles's attitudes and interests spring from his grandmother she even approved his choice of bride she knew Lady Diana Spencer through her family's aristocratic connections diana had grown up in her father's care but no one knew how much her parents divorce had affected her [Music] Diana's mother had lost custody of her children through the testimony of her own mother lady Fermoy a longtime friend and lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother any misgivings which she may have had about her granddaughters suitability as a bride for Prince Charles were kept to herself duty to the royal family meant more than anything else to Lady Ruth Fermoy the marriage was quietly promoted by the Queen Mother I do know that the Queen Mother said um to Prince Charles well you know you're not to mess her about and if you don't grab by somebody else walk she's so attractive she certainly said that but what I rather was told but again have I even believed people that that lady for more I really didn't think it was a good idea but then again you see her to understand how courtiers are they don't tell the boss anything the boss might not want to hear so however much he may have said after they oh god oh god I don't think she went along and said to the royal family listen I'm not sure this is going to be a good idea I'm sure she didn't true to form Ruth Fermoy supported Charles against Diana the Queen Mother's presence that lady firm oiz funeral in 1993 was the final honor for the courtier who had put royalty before her own family but had let down both her daughter and granddaughter perhaps influenced by lady for moy the Queen mother came to see Diana as frivolous with little sense of duty Diana considered the Queen Mother as a source of negative comment I don't think that there was much of a relationship there between the Queen Mother and the Princess of Wales and of course as things started to go wrong the Queen Mother was ferociously loyal to Charles always took his side Diana and the Queen Mother often had to meet in public on these occasions they had to hide the suspicion and growing coolness between them diana decided to do her own thing mcqueen mama could never really work out how diana could do it and get away with it and of course the more diana did and the more diana got away with it the bigger the breach between the two of them and it was never going to be resolved and in the end it's my belief that diana absolutely hated the Queen Mother perhaps unfairly perhaps unfortunately but it's true that that was the case Balmoral was used to conceal Charles's affair with another woman at Burke Hall the Queen mother's house on the Scottish whorl estate he frequently met Camilla parker-bowles the Queen Mother had a number of close friends most of them courtiers but occasionally people who were outside the royal court and possibly the closest of all those was Derek Parker Bowles whose son Andrew finally married Camilla parker-bowles and I think that the Queen Mother from the outset because of her close friendship with that family saw that one of us was having a relationship with the with the Prince of Wales when it came down to it when Prince Charles needed somewhere to go with Camilla Burke Hall the Queen mother's house at Balmoral was made available always with her knowledge because Prince Charles is a dutiful grandson he knows everything about keeping in touch with the Queen Mother letting her know what's going on and has always dedicated himself to that idea and in return the Queen Mother rather enjoying the secret nature of this relationship between Charles and the adulteress mrs. Parker Bowles was quite prepared to smile on it and lend her house to them Princess Margaret has a different relationship with her mother than the Queen as the more difficult daughter Margaret has often needed her mother with her constant example of gaiety and social ease no event has ever challenged the Queen Mother not even meeting the Beatles for whom she wore her finest jewels we Mother's principal trademark is her her love of pearls she was a 1920s bride she was she was brought up in that era when pearls were the most important accessory for a young girl and for any ladies of style and society and she's remained true to that wonderful formal and traditional look she still wears the most exquisite strands of pearls the Queen Mother is an expert at image and presentation no appearance is achieved without considerable attention to detail by her designers touching here something wrong with the shoulder line here the neckline and then the the fitter will suggest perhaps mom if we alter that we make the neckline a little higher would you feel yes I think that would be very nice and touching the Hat here it's got to come up and we all at the like the little bits and pieces in the little band that goes underneath you don't get complaints but you know that if it isn't you just keep on doing it until it's right the Queen Mother's father the Earl of Strathearn heritage a quarter of a million pounds he was a multi-millionaire by today's standards once a rich woman with a royal fortune she is now reported to be heavily in debt what she's inherited some money from her father but much more so from her husband King George and six who died back in 1952 and at that time the Queen Mother was considered a very wealthy woman in her own right but since then her lifestyle has been very very extravagant and that's really it seems eaten into fortune five years ago the Queen Mother puts her 19 million pounds in trust for mostly her great-grandchildren and a good deal of that is to go to Princes William and Harry in two installments four point nine million when they're 21 and another eight millions be shared between them when they're 40 so the reason why she may not have a lot of money today is because it's being shunted to one side to avoid inheritance tax every year the Queen Mother would leave her private Scottish home to greet the family on their way to Balmoral they all adore her that have not been able to control her massive spending I do think that the royal family who have to pick up the bills after all for the Queen Mother do slightly worry that she keeps on the central heating at her house the castle of male north of Scotland all year round and she only visits it from time to time but in order to be able to make sure that the woodwork doesn't contract or that that nasty damp stains appear anywhere she will keep that central heating on the bills are colossal the Queen Mother has often spent her birthday here at Clarence House one of her full residences each lavishly furnished and expensively maintained I think the the Queen Mother is wonderfully extravagant she's living in a different age she is an Edwardian and she lives in an Edwardian way she has more servants than any other member of the royal family she invites people to lunch at Karen's house and says we'll have a little picnic and you will go out on the lawns and there will be an array of silver and gold and plate on the table there will be footmen behind every chair and you will be served the finest wines and champagne and that to her as a picnic while the Queen is frugal her mother sees no reason to change her habits at 99 life is for living the Queen Mother is always the life and soul of the party where ever she is she just makes things go she likes to have people playing the piano and singing and when she's racing she her enthusiasm is always there she's planned with her basic manager all the mating of her horses up to the year 2003 so I think she intends to be around for a while yet this is her life and her century [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

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Length: 50min 7sec (3007 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 02 2020