Celebrate the Queen Mother’s Birthday

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born August 4, 1900. She was born in London, but spent most of her youth in Scotland’s Glamis Castle, the famed haunted castle of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The Queen Mother was not considered to be of royal blood although was descended from the Royal House of Scotland. Though born in England, she always considered herself a Scot.

No birthday would be complete – without presents!  Make sure you read the entire post and scroll to the bottom for a giveaway!

Elizabeth Marries Prince Albert

Prince Albert proposed multiple times before Elizabeth finally agreed. They were married in 1923. Together they had two daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Because Prince Albert was the second son, Princess Elizabeth and her family expected to lead a quiet life. This quietness was shattered when King Edward abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Warfield Simpson,  an American divorcee. This stunt greatly angered Princess Elizabeth and her stand for marriage and intolerance for divorce was seen throughout her life as other members of the royal family found themselves in failing marriages.

Here is a video of the King’s Speach renouncing the throne and a silent newsreel of the wedding for he Duke of York (later King George VI) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother)

Elizabeth Becomes Queen

The coronation ceremony took place in 1937 for the now King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She tutored her husband in public speech and stood as a rock behind the king, especially during the war years. At the same time,  her role was very low-key and out of the spotlight. It is thought that she only had one press conference in her whole life and that was the one announcing her engagement.

 

Queen Elizabeth Becomes Queen Mother

After King George’s death, Elizabeth’s title became Queen Mother and her older daughter, Queen Elizabeth II became the ruling monarch in England. The Queen Mum, as she was affectionately called in England, was very close to her family. When Queen Elizabeth was away, The Queen Mum would often look after her grandchildren. She and Prince Charles became particularly close.

The Queen Mother was known for her love of hats and horse racing. She died on March 30, 2002, just weeks after her younger daughter, Princess Margaret. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon is now the longest living member of the Royal Family to date in history.

Unit Study on The Queen Mother

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Unit Study

 

Printables

These free Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Unit Study Printables contain notebooking and copywork pages as well as a word search to go with your study of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Want to more? Trying the blank page at Notebooking Pages or make your own using fonts from Fonts 4 Teachers.

Videos of The Queen Mother

Enjoy this special channel on YouTube for videos regarding the life of the Queen Mother. (Use discretion and the preview videos before allowing your children to watch.)

Books to assist your unit study of The Queen Mother:

Note:  There are few books readily available on Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, but books relating to her husband, King George VI, and her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, will likely discuss Elizabeth’s role in their lives.

• The Queen Mother: The Untold Story of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Who Became Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
• The Queen Mother: The Official Biography (Vintage)
• Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother’s Equerry

Pinterest Board for Queen Mother

Enjoy this Pinterest board with links to help you  research  Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

 

Here are some suggestions for studies related to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon:

• Hats in England
• Horse Racing
• World War II
• Winston Churchill
• Prince Charles
• Abdication
• Royal Titles
• The Royal Family
• and more!

Amanda Pelser is a former church communications director turned work-at-home(schooling)-mom. She opens her home as an encouraging and inspiring shelter for your heart at ThePelsers.com. She runs after and teaches her boys while running her virtual assistant and WordPress business. She’s also the author of Finding Joy in Depression, which was sponsored by Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc.

Disclosure: I (Rebecca) received a free copy of the Renaissance and Reformation Lapbook from Knowledge Box. I did not receive any additional compensation for writing this post. These printables were created by Amanda Pelser – she has full ownership, but blessed me by creating them for free for this Birthday Post. Some of the links in this post do contain affiliate links that link back to the owner of Mom’s Mustard Seeds.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links. See disclosure for full information