The 30th March is especially poignant for the Queen. On this day in 2002, the Queen Mother sadly passed away at the age of 101, some 50 years after the death of her husband, King George VI. At the time, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen Mother had died peacefully in her sleep at 3.15pm at her Windsor residence, Royal Lodge. Her daughter was at her bedside. A touching statement was later released on behalf of the grieving monarch.
The Queen Mother passed away on 30 March 2002
It read: "The Queen, with the greatest sadness, has asked for the following announcement to be made immediately: her beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth, died peacefully in her sleep this afternoon at Royal Lodge, Windsor. Members of the royal family have been informed."
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The palace spokesman continued: "Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother had become increasingly frail in recent weeks following her bad cough and chest infection over Christmas. Her condition deteriorated this morning and her doctors were called. Queen Elizabeth died peacefully in her sleep at 3.15 this afternoon at Royal Lodge. The Queen was at her mother's bedside."
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Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon in London on 4 August 1900. The fourth daughter and ninth child of Lord and Lady Glamis, she met her future husband Prince Albert at a dance in May 1920.
The Queen Mother and King George VI with their two daughters
They married at Westminster Abbey in April 1923, and had two children - Elizabeth, now the Queen, and Princess Margaret. When her husband was crowned King George VI on 12 December 1936, after the abdication crisis of King Edward VIII, she became the first British-born Queen Consort since Tudor times.
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Following the death of King George on 6 February 1952, she chose to be called Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother when her elder daughter became Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen Mother spent three months in mourning following her husband’s passing, after which she embarked on a life of public duty, characterised by a charm that made her a favourite with the public.