The Queen Mother Has A Darker Legacy Than People Know

Behind every man, there’s a great woman—but this went double for "The Queen Mother". Not only did Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon rule through her husband King George VI, she also oversaw the reign of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Yet before that, she’d already experienced a lifetime’s worth of royal scandal.

[finnsmom]

I read a book about the British Royal family a few years ago. It gave some glimpses into both the private and public lives of the British Monarchy. It included an amusing story about The Queen Mother during QEII’s reign. The Queen Mother was scheduled to visit an “old folks home, ” and showed up, dressed to the hilt. As she was led through the elderly care facility, she stopped to talk with an elderly lady, sitting in the hallway. The elderly resident didn’t seem to make enough, “to do” about the Queen Mother, which they described as an action that irritated her. Since the elderly resident seemed to be treating the Queen Mother like anyone else, the Queen Mother leaned in and asked her, “Do you know who I am?” Without missing a beat, the elderly resident replied, “Oh, don’t you worry, any of the nurses or staff that work here, will be happy to remind you who you are when you forget!”. LOL. Hilarious…..

[lyndawilliams]

Can we please stop lying about how “beautiful “ she was; none of them are beautiful from that line. She was as plain as plain could be.

[sandrah]

It always amuses me that she blamed Edward and Wallis for her husband's early death from lung cancer. Of course, chain smoking had nothing to do with it!

[LizaFergison]

My mother knew an elderly man who had worked for the Queen Mother for years. He said she was a total snob and racist. She held almost daily drink sodden lunches where the guests were mainly gay men who idolized her. Her daughter, the late Queen Elizabeth, paid off her mother's debts. The QM was a self obsessed narcissist.

[Glamrockqueen]

My brother was a guard at Buckingham Palace. He always said the Queen Mum was one of the nastier member of the family. Drank like a fish, and as someone else has also infered, very racist. She was not as nice as she appeared.

[Duchess_of_Cadishead]

Elizabeth Bowes Lyon declined Albert’s proposal because she was still hoping to nab Edward, and only settled on Albert once it was obvious she wouldn’t succeed. To say she didn’t want the “Royal life” is wrong.

[shelleylane]

I don't understand why people say she was beloved, I recall when I was VERY young being brought up in the UK that she was NOT liked. Being so young, I didn't understand why she was so disliked, but it has stayed with me all my life, and I'm now in my 82nd year.

[katherinehutton]

Actually the Queen Mother once said "frankly I'm not at all nice as people think I am" She never really hide it, she was quite honest about herself.

[dawnpettet]

She was a selfish, tyrant. Died owing millions.

[cathyshifley]

I never, being an American, knew about most of these stories until I read a bio of her. I was gobsmacked by her snobby behavior & how her family behaved. As one other commenter said, she was no beauty. She always seemed rather frumpy, and tried to hide it with clothing that only emphasized how short she was. I think her problem was that once she had power, there was no way she was going to relinquish it to anyone, even her own daughter and rightful heir.

[wellallrightthen]

I think she was a self-important, self-absorbed person who lived for all the attention she got as queen—which is why she took the death of her husband so hard: it meant she was no longer everyone’s main focus—and that’s what made her so bitter

[lynek]

A distasteful elitist, who hated Wallis Simpson out of jealousy. Edward (David) rejected her, so she would have hated anyone he married. I do not care for Wallis, but Elizabeth’s hatred was excessive. Not permitting a brother to attend a funeral is beyond nasty.

[williamevans]

I've read elsewhere that her favourite hymn was "All Things Bright and Beautiful", from which she used to quote the verse, "The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, And ordered their estate". In other words, know your place!
The Queen Mother also initially refused to move out of Buckingham Palace on the death of her husband, King George VI, and continued to exercise her influence over her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, until her death almost fifty years later.

[traceywarren]

She was a horrid lady my grandmother worked for her family and she was very nasty to the staff

[mimsicle]

I don’t believe the Queen mother was a positive influence in the lives of her daughters.

[mrs.herculepoirot]

The Duke of Windsor was most certainly at his brother George VI's funeral. It was only his wife who was not invited.

[sunnydavidson]

I read that she left QEII with her massive debts. Apparently she wasn't concerned about "spending" beyond "means."

[eddierogers]

Growing up in Redhill in the 70's. I can say that the Bowes-Lyon girls being in Royal Earlswood was not a secret, everyone in the surrounding towns knew the Queen's cousins were there

[theon]

I am a 75 years old Australian, and a "royal watcher" for about 70 of those years. I even have Coronation memories from pre-school.
Like others of my age here, I can tell you that IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN COMMON KNOWLEDGE that this woman had a "darker side". She was a nasty piece of work. Everybody knew.

What is weird is that journalists like producers of this vid treat it like a well-kept secret.
In the '50s in Australia, every taxi driver could have told you what you are "REVEALING" today. And much more. Her alcoholism was legendary. 😂😅.

[Jacky]

She really wasn’t ’strikingly’ beautiful, but she was Queen, so no one would say it as it was. None of the blood royals are beautiful, just well groomed and well dressed. They appeared attractive in a times when the public were very poor.