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On This Day: Future King George VI marries woman who would become the Queen Mother

APRIL 26, 1923: The future King George VI married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon – who became the Queen Mother during the reign of the current monarch – on this day in 1923.

Prince Albert, Duke of York - as he was then known - wed the resolute aristocrat, who had twice turned down his proposals, in a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Elizabeth, 22, stunned crowds by unexpectedly placing her bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – to honour her fallen brother Fergus - before entering.

A British Pathé newsreel showed both her and the 30-year-old prince leaving their London homes – in his case Buckingham Palace – in horse-drawn carriages.

She wore an elegant gown with deep ivory chiffon moiré embroidered with pearls and a silver thread along with a “point de Flandres” veil loaned by Queen Mary.

Bertie, as he was known to his family, wore the navy dress uniform of the Royal Air Force, which he served in during the First World War.

After the marriage, the proceeded with the tradition of waving to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Their marriage - despite her initial reluctance amid fears royal life would mean she would never again be free to “think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to” – was very strong.

The Duchess of York and later Queen consort helped her husband get over his stammer, which was partially the result of his authoritarian father, King George V.

However, as Bertie was only second in line to the throne after his older brother Edward, the couple had expected to keep out of the limelight.

But that changed in 1936 when, just 326 days into his reign, King Edward VIII abdicated after sparking a constitutional crisis.

[On This Day: Edward VIII marries Wallis Simpson Duke of Windsor]


Effervescent Edward, whom Bertie had long lived in the shadow of, quit the throne so that he could marry unpopular U.S. divorcee Wallis Simpson.

The Government threatened to resign if he married her.

And could have dragged Edward into a general election and would ruin his status as a politically neutral, constitutional monarch.

Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin believed that, although the king was popular, people would not accept a divorced woman living with two living ex-husbands as queen.

Marrying Mrs Simpson would also have conflicted with Edward being head of the Church of England, which opposed the remarriages of divorced people with living  former spouses.

Edward exiled himself in France and Bertie took over – but decided to rule as King George VI to emphasise continuity with his popular father.

With monarchy discredited (Labour MP George Hardie said the crisis did “more for republicanism than 50 years of propaganda”) the new sovereign tried to restore trust.

But, with war brewing, he had bigger problems ahead of him.

[On This Day: Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco]


George, who continued to be called Bertie by his family, had to reassure the nation that it could stand up to German might and aggression.

Having battled his stammer with the help of both his wife and a speech therapist – as depicted in The King’s Speech movie – he gave the greatest radio address of any monarch.

He also won back the people’s trust by insisting on staying in London despite ministers advising him to leave.

Indeed, Buckingham Palace was palace was bombed a total of seven times, with his loyal wife saying the damage let her to “look the East End in the face”.

After the war, George had to lead a Britain mired in austerity and with its empire in rapid terminal decline.

He weathered those trials too, but in the end they shortened his life.

The heavy smoker died aged 56 from a coronary thrombosis on February 7, 1952.

[On This Day: Queen Elizabeth II crowned]


However, his wife, who became the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother after their eldest of two daughters ascended the throne, was one of the longest living royals.

In the five decades after her husband’s death, the Queen Mum – as she was affectionately known – was one of the most popular members of the family.

She was well known for her headstrong nature and love of life – in particular gin and horseracing.

When she died aged 101 in 2002, a million people gathered outside Westminster Abbey and along the route of her funeral procession to Windsor.