Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother was loved far and wide for her quick witted sense of humour and her no nonsense attitude - qualities which, at the time of her death in 2002, had her dubbed the ‘Best Loved Royal ’.
Born on August 4, 1900, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the then Prince Albert in 1923 at Westminster Abbey, and the couple became The Duke and Duchess of York. They had no expectation of the future that lay before them.
The Duke and Duchess welcomed their first daughter, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (the current Queen Elizabeth) in 1926 who was then joined by her younger sister, Princess Margaret Rose in 1930.
Through her life as a royal, The Queen Mother witnessed four reigns and lived for an astounding 101 years - making her the second longest-lived British royal, only topped by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester who lived to the age of 102.
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Her legacy truly precedes her, and, in a resurfaced story, the extent of her carefree and loveable antics has delighted royal fans.
The Queen Mother paid a visit to Derby to open the Assembly Rooms in 1977 and it is fair to say that the trip went anything but smoothly.
The family of former Derby police officer, Ian Parker, has revealed some brilliant anecdotes from his three decades spent in the force, including his memorable encounter with The Queen Mother.
Ian’s daughter, Jane Hart, told the Derby Telegraph : “They lost her! There was this operation to make sure she was OK and to make sure everything went smoothly. It was a big occasion, and I remember him feeling very proud and privileged to be taking part and getting involved with it.
“They were leading her around, and they were proud to have her come to the city. But they couldn’t find her. He told the story to me, and you could tell he was still feeling nervous about telling it years on because of what they must have gone through.
“I think quite a few officers were sent to find her, and my dad found her in the bar having a drink. The Queen Mother was quite known for enjoying a tipple, and she did when she came to Derby.”
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Her love of a drink was noted several times throughout her long life and she even hilariously appeared in The Queen’s Head pub in Stepney, East London and pulled her own pint, before declaring it better than champagne.
The landlord of The Queen's Head remembered his interaction with The Queen well and told the story after she passed in 2002. He said: "I was told three months before that it was happening and I was warned not to tell anyone until 10 days beforehand.
"My family had been in the trade since 1881 - they ran the Bulls Head in Duckett Street. But the Blitz hit us badly. We lost 22 members of the family - grandfather, uncles, cousins.
"So it did feel relevant when the Palace approached me about her visit. The Palace bloke said: 'Don't worry. She will make you feel at ease.' I didn't believe him. But he was right. She was terrific.
"You have to remember she was an old lady. I shook her hand and she felt like a sparrow and I was so scared I might crush her. I asked her what she wanted to drink and she asked for a pint of Special.
"She poured it herself and she knocked back at least three-quarters of it. I have to say I was impressed."
The Queen Mother’s affinity with the East End does not stop here as she was even dubbed as ‘the East Ender’s angel’ by locals.
After the bombs fell on London during the Blitz in World War Two, The Queen Mother famously said: “I'm glad we [ Buckingham Palace ] have been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face".
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