It’s been 20 years since the Queen Mother passed away aged 101, but her legacy certainly hasn’t been forgotten.
In fact, Buckingham Palace marked the anniversary by sharing a series of photos from the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon’s life including a sweet snap from King George VI’s coronation that a young Queen Elizabeth II attended aged 11.
On Wednesday UK time, the Royal Family official social media accounts wrote: “Today marks 20 years since the death of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Her Majesty inspired great affection from the public which her daughter The Queen spoke of as, ‘the special place she occupied in the hearts of so many.’
“Born on 4 August 1900, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married The Duke of York in 1923. In 1936 they became King and Queen Consort, and were crowned in Westminster Abbey at a Coronation attended by their daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.
“Her Majesty’s life spanned an entire century of history and change. Famously, she refused to leave London during WWII, saying, ‘I won’t leave the King. And the King will never leave.’ She and the King visited bomb-damaged areas during the Blitz, and Buckingham Palace itself was bombed whilst Their Majesties were in residence.”
After her daughter Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, she became the Queen Mother and supported her daughter’s work as well as carrying out her own public duties.
The Queen Mother was Patron or President of some 350 organisations and completed more than 40 overseas tours and visits as Queen Mother.
The heartfelt post comes just days after UK Mother’s Day when a rare photo of the Queen with the Queen Mother and her younger sister Princess Margaret was shared with the public.
“Wishing all those celebrating today a very special Mothering Sunday,” the caption simply read.
Prince Charles famously shared a close relationship with his maternal grandmother and spoke warmly of her following her death in 2002.
“I know what my darling grandmother meant to so many other people. She literally enriched their lives and she was the original life enhancer, whether publicly or privately, whoever she was with.
In many ways I think she’s become an institution in her own right, a presence in the nation and in other realms and territories beyond these shores.”