Mother of Queen Elizabeth II. Although born in London, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was brought up at Glamis Castle in Angus. The daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, she married HRH the Duke of York in 1923, who unexpectedly became King George VI in 1936, on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII.
With her husband, Queen Elizabeth was created a Knight of the Order of the Thistle (1937). Widowed at the age of just 51, she withdrew briefly from public life before throwing herself into engagements and service with a renewed vigour, supporting her daughter as Queen. She was known for her energy and strong-mindedness, insisting on standing unaided to make speeches beyond her 100th Birthday celebrations.
Her Majesty was a noted race-horse owner and regular attender at the races, as well as being a respected breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle on her highland estate at the Castle of Mey (Caithness). She held honorary degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, where she also served as Chancellor, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews, the latter presented in 1929.
Only weeks after the death of Princess Margaret, her younger daughter, Elizabeth died at Windsor, the oldest British Royal in history. Following a funeral in Westminster Abbey, which was watched by hundreds of millions around the world, she was privately laid to rest next to her husband in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
