"Royalty puts a human face on the operations of

government and provides an image with which the people

of a nation can identify and which they can love.

Queen Elizabeth 's face is known and loved throughout

the world," said Dr. Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury

in 1980 about Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on her

80th birthday at a special church service in London 's

St. Paul 's Cathedral. It was a fitting tribute - and

remained true for the 20 more years she lived as it

had all her life.

The lady they honored that day had borne several

titles: Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyons,

the Duchess of York, the Queen of England and finally

in 1952 that she assumed the title that she would

carry with love and pride for the next fifty years -

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Yet to many Brits,

she is known simply as "Queen Mum." There is a story

that as a child Elizabeth noted in an autograph album

that her favorite pastime was to make friends and in

her 100 years of life and service to her family and

her nation, she made many.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons was born in Hertfordshire,

England on August 4, 1900 the daughter of Lord and

Lady Glamis, the ninth child of 10 and the youngest

daughter as well as descendent of Scottish royalty.

Then in 1903 with the death of her grandfather, her

father became the 14th Earl of Strathmore and the

family moved to the family seat of Glamis Castle , the

oldest inhabited Scottish castle where Elizabeth grew

up with a life-long love of Scotland .

When World War I began in 1914, the family offered

Glamis castle as a convalescent medical center for

returning veterans. In December of that year within

days of the arrival of the first soldiers, Elizabeth

knew them by their first names, and kept busy and

helpful as she ran errands, played endless games of

cards and even billiards with the soldiers. Her own

family was also personally involved in the war effort

since four of her brother fought in the war, one was

killed in action and one was a POW for two years.

After the war, Elizabeth and her friends enjoyed a

busy social schedule but she also made time to take

part in the Girl Guides (Girl Scouts) in her area, and

this common interest brought a friendship with

Princess Mary, only daughter of King George V.

Elizabeth served as a bridesmaid in the Princess'

wedding and about this time became better acquainted

with Prince Albert , Mary's brother.

Bertie, as he was known in his family, was the second

son of King George V. He was shy, awkward, and had a

stutter, but he was a frequent visitor to Glamis and it soon

became evident that he was very interested in

Elizabeth . He proposed marriage several times between

1921 and 1923, but she declined each time. Finally, in

January 1923 he tried again and this time she

responded. "If you're going to keep this up forever, I

might as well say 'yes' now. And so I do."

With the announcement of their engagement, Bertie and

Elizabeth found themselves the center of public and

press attention as reporters besieged Elizabeth 's

London home and they appeared in several movie

newsreels of the time. The wedding was scheduled for

Westminster Abbey for April 23, 1923 , and since it was

the first wedding of a king's son since the 1300s

there was great festivity and pomp. The new BBC wanted

to broadcast the wedding, and while the crown and a

few church officials approved, other church officials

opposed it. They felt the ceremony was too sacred to

be heard in public houses and by "people wearing

hats."

As the Duke and Duchess of York , the traditional title

for the monarch's second son, Bertie and Elizabeth

could only anticipate a quiet and routine family life

with few royal duties, since Bertie's older brother

the Prince of Wales would logically succeed to the

throne. They began their family with the birth of

Princesses Elizabeth in 1926 and Margaret Rose in 1930

and renovated and moved into the Royal Lodge at

Windsor as their country retreat. It was a quiet

period of domesticity for the Yorks but it was soon to

change.

King George V died in January 1936 and the Prince of

Wales was proclaimed King Edward VIII. Known as David

to his family, the new king had never married,

instead having frequent relationships with married

women. His current companion Mrs. Wallis Simpson was

not only married but had been previously divorced so

when David insisted that he planned to eventually

marry her, the British government and church voiced

strong objection. Then when it became clear that he

must choose between Mrs. Simpson and his throne, he

decided to abdicate and that choice changed the lives

of Bertie and Elizabeth and eventually that of their

daughters. Stating that he could not reign without the

love and support of "the woman I love," David gave a

final radio address and described one advantage of

Bertie as his successor. "My brother," he said, "has

one matchless blessing enjoyed by so many of you and

not bestowed on me - a happy home with his wife and

children."

David's abdication in December 1936 did not change the

plans for the coronation of the new king and that went

forward but with George VI instead of Edward VIII in

May 1937 as Bertie as he was Duke of York assumed a

position for which he had never prepared.

The new royal family offered a close and loving image

to a British nation in the midst of national

preparations for war. The Queen spoke often on the

radio, particularly to the women who were attempting

to keep their homes and children safe and secure. As

the months passed and there were frequent bombing

attacks the King and the Queen were constantly touring

the damaged sites, particularly in the East End of

London , Their purpose was to offer the encouragement

of their presence, serving to draw the nation tighter

and showing the monarchy to be a unifying force. On

these tours, the Queen was careful to dress in bright

colors, and never in black.

Other European royalty had fled the invading armies to

more secure locations in other countries, but the King

and Queen refused to leave. Even though a German

invasion was a real possibility, and the royal family

was advised to at least send the princesses out of the

country the Queen would not hear of it. "The

princesses cannot go without me," she declared. "I

cannot go without the king, and the king will never

go." During the Blitz or aerial attacks on London , the

Princesses were moved to nearby Windsor Castle , but

the King and Queen remained in London . As an advisor

to Prime Minister Winston Churchill said later: "I

don't think anyone had any doubts and certainly the

Prime Minister didn't - that the influence the queen

had on the king was enormously beneficial. He had a

very difficult job in wartime and she supported him

quite magnificently. Wherever he went and whatever he

did she was there by his side. She never for a moment

flinched at the danger or bombing or whatever it might

be, and I'm she there was no wiser counselor." When

Buckingham Palace was bombed the Queen was glad. "Now

I can look the east end in the face," she said.

After the war, the king and queen shared in the joy of

the victory, just as they had shared in the wartime

rationing and austerity. Then in 1947 the entire royal

family took the first royal tour after the war to

South Africa and when they returned the king and queen

announced the engagement of the Princess Elizabeth to

Philip Mountbatten and they were married in November

1947. Within a year Prince Charles was born, and

followed by Princess Anne in 1950.

However, the king's health had been failing, and he

was suffering from cancer. When Princess Elizabeth and

her husband set off for a world tour in January 1952,

the king came to the airport to see them off. His

haggard windswept face was the last public image the

nation would see for he was dead within days. His

widow of 51 became Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

and her daughter now occupied the throne. Yet in her

sorrow, the new Queen Mother did not forget her public

duties as she reassured the nation: "He loved you all.

Every one of you. That was the pledge he took at his

Coronation. Now I am left to do what I can to honor

that pledge without him."

As she began the last half of her ultimate 100 years,

Elizabeth did not event think of retiring for she

continued a full schedule of royal appearances and

public duties. Whether it was at a flower show the

horse race at Ascot or at the annual Service of the

Order of the Garter, the Queen Mother was in public

view with a ready smile and wave. She was active until

the very last years of her life when the life dedicated to

her nation and her family came to an end on April 22, 2002 .

~*~

Anne Adams is a writer/teacher in Houston , Texas . She has published in Christian and secular publications and her book "Brittany, Child of Joy" was issued by Broadman Press in 1986.