Why ‘shy’ King George VI was allowed to marry the Queen Mother despite 'royal snobbery'
King George VI and the Queen Mother's marriage wasn't straight forward!
The Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, stepped up to be the queen consort of the United Kingdom in December 1936, when her brother-in-law Edward VIII abdicated the throne, leaving her husband, who would be King George VI, burdened with the weight of the British crown.
This turn of events was likely the last thing the then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon expected when she accepted the then Prince Albert’s proposal in 1923.
After three years of courting, Prince Albert popped the question – for the third time – to his love interest, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the daughter of one of Scotland’s leading aristocratic families.
Although Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had a name of note and wealth, she wasn’t exactly marriage material, according to some reports.
On April 26, it has been 102 years since then Prince Albert wed Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey. Keep reading to understand why their jaunt down the aisle wasn’t all plain sailing…
Who did King George VI marry?
The young Duke of York was born Albert at birth. However, he took on the name George when he became king. His family nickname was Bertie.
He was the “spare” rather than the heir. This meant he had a little more freedom to marry who he pleased.
Consequently, he eventually tied the knot with Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in a regal ceremony in front of 1,800 guests.
It seems, considering the prince proposed three times whilst courting Elizabeth, that their pairing was a love-match rather than for the progress of the crown. However, Elizabeth wasn’t too keen on being part of the royal fold. She reportedly had concerns for her privacy.
In 1923, royal snobbery was at its peak, but it wasn’t the strain of madness that ran through the Bowes-Lyons that would have prevented the marriage had Bertie been the first-born son.
Despite the restrictions on who he should or shouldn’t be marrying being a shade easier on Prince Albert, he still had to please his very royal family.
Elizabeth, while still a member of aristocracy, was not reportedly what the Windsors would have considered an ideal match.
British princes traditionally married princesses from continental Europe during this time.
King George VI’s marriage to the future Queen Mother
Royal author Tom Quinn explained in his book, Gilded Youth, that Prince Albert and Elizabeth’s union was only approved due to the prince’s status as “spare”. His brother Edward was the heir apparent.
He said: “When Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the shy, diffident ‘Bertie’, the future George VI, she would have known it was only possible because he was not the heir.
“In 1923, royal snobbery was at its peak. But it wasn’t the strain of madness that ran through the Bowes-Lyons that would have prevented the marriage had Bertie been the first-born son.
“The difficulty would have been that, on one side, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was descended from Durham mine owners.”
But as a spare, George could “marry for love”. The book claimed he “simply needed a strong woman from the right sort of aristocratic background”.
Was the Queen Mother engaged to Edward VIII?
Reports claim that at the time of Prince Albert and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon’s engagement, newspapers misreported their engagement. Some wrote that Elizabeth had become engaged to the future Edward VIII.
In more recent years, a documentary speculated that the Queen Mother allegedly disliked Wallis Simpson as she was in fact in love with Edward (known as David to family and friends).
The 2016 BBC documentary-drama Royal Wives At War, apparently based on letters and memoirs, claimed Elizabeth wanted the future king for herself and not Albert.
Historians have since squashed the claims.
Leading historian Andrew Roberts previously told The Mail on Sunday: “The relationship between these two women (Elizabeth and Wallis) is dramatic and extraordinary, without the BBC inventing rubbish of this kind.
“No reputable historian believes the Queen Mother was ever in love with the future Edward VIII, let alone tried to marry him.”
Why did King George’s wife not become Queen?
Of course, the luxurious life of socialising, shooting and shopping Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon likely expected was very, very different following the death of Prince Albert’s father, King George V.
This was because of King Edward VIII’s desire to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson after ascending the throne.
Divorce was not approved of by the Church of England at the time, of which Edward VIII was the head of. This meant Wallis Simpson was not seen as the appropriate fit as the future Queen of England.
This shocking turn of events sparked the biggest constitutional crisis in centuries. Edward VIII abdicated from his role as king to wed Wallis Simpson. But this left the responsibility of the crown to Prince Albert. In December of 1936, he became king.
By that time, Elizabeth and Prince Albert had welcomed two daughters, then-Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. As the oldest, Princess Elizabeth subsequently became the heir apparent.
She would go on to be the longest reigning monarch in British history.
King George VI’s coronation ceremony took place in 1937. Elizabeth became officially known as Queen Elizabeth.
Upon King George VI’s death in 1952, Queen Elizabeth became known as the Queen Mother. This was largely to avoid confusion as she shared the same name as the new monarch, her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
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