Queen Mother - Reflections on her life

The BBC's royal correspondent Nick Witchell answered your questions on the life and death of the Queen Mother.

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The Queen Mother's life spanned the entire twentieth century. A devoted wife and mother she spent her life serving the Monarchy.

She had never expected to be Queen. The abdication thrust her and her husband, unprepared, onto the national stage.

From the day of her accession as George VI's Queen, she dedicated her life and that of her family to serving the nation and to supporting the shy and retiring King in his duties as sovereign.

She is credited with resurrecting the institution's popularity and became a hugely popular figure, one who gave the Royal Family a more human face.

Following the death of her husband she remained a key member of the royal family, supporting her daughter, Elizabeth, in her role as Queen.

She has continued her royal duties through her old age, performing her last official duties in November 2001.

How will you remember her? What impact has she had on Britain and the Royal Family? Why was she so revered by so many people? How did the rest of the world see her?

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Transcript:

Newshost:
Gabrielle M, USA: Was the Queen Mother born in England or Scotland?

Nick Witchell:
There's always been a little bit of a mystery where she was born. She was born in fact in England in St. Paul's Waldenbury in Hertfordshire - the family home - in 1900.

Newshost:
Dean Smith, Australia: What is the most likely date for the ceremonial funeral?

Nick Witchell:
I can tell the precise date - Buckingham Palace, within the past few minutes has announced that the funeral will take place on Tuesday, April 9th at 11.30 a.m. at Westminster Abbey. That will follow three and a half days during which the coffin will lie in state at Westminster Hall from the afternoon of Friday, 5th until the evening of Monday 8th April.

Newshost:
Dr Sanchez, UK: Given that the Queen has recently suffered two tragic losses, what is the future of the monarchy and is she likely to abdicate?

Nick Witchell:
I would say absolutely not. The Queen believes that she inherited, if you like, a sacred duty when she inherited the throne. She would believe, I think, that to abdicate would be harmful to the monarchy because it would be, as it were, retiring from this inherited position. So I see no indication that despite the two losses, that she will abdicate.

Newshost:
Brandon Ray, USA: Here in America, royal mourning is something rather odd and never heard of, what protocol is observed and what's expected of the members of the Royal Family.

Nick Witchell:
It's rather esoteric this. It is essentially, they will wear black. All members of the Royal household will either wear black or black armbands. There's no specific protocol for it but clearly they will not be fulfilling engagements of a frivolous nature. It is the case that mourning will continue until the Queen Mother's funeral - so for nine days national mourning. So I think perhaps flags will be flying at half mast until after the funeral takes place.

Newshost:
Z. Chadourey, Thailand: Who were parents? Did she have any siblings and are any of the other descents still alive?

Nick Witchell:
Her mother was English. Her father was a Scottish aristocrat, Lord Glamis, later the Earl of Strathmore. She did indeed have siblings. She was of 10 children - I can't just immediately remember how many brothers and sisters there were, but it was fairly evenly divided. None of those brothers or sisters is still alive. One brother was killed during the First World War. She was devoted in particular to her younger brother, David, who died some years ago - but yes, she came from a large family.

Newshost:
Matthew Shields, Canada: As a great admirer of the Queen Mother, I was surprised to hear of the strain between her and her brother-in-law - later the Duke of Windsor. I am curious as to what their relationship was like from the time of their reconciliation to the time of his late Majesty's passing?

Nick Witchell:
The Queen Mother - or as she was then - the Duchess of York, felt that the action of her brother-in-law, Edward VIII, was a betrayal of the monarchy in putting his personal life before his duty as sovereign that betrayed everything that the Royal Family believed in - a very selfish act, as they thought. The Queen Mother was very unforgiving of the fact that her husband, the Duke of York, completely unsuited to strain of being King was propelled into that position by the action of his elder brother.

Newshost:
Sharif W, United Arab Emirates: How much behind the scenes animosity really took place between the Queen Mother and Mrs Simpson?

Nick Witchell:
There was very considerable animosity because, I think, the Queen Mother, undoubtedly blamed Mrs Simpson for the relationship that developed between her and Edward VIII - the Duke of Windsor - as he became. I think they tended to blame her for, as it were, stealing and corrupting the former King, Edward VIII and for persuading him to flee the throne. So there was considerable animosity and really no contact between them until the mid-1960s.

Newshost:
Clay, USA: Now the Queen Mother is dead, can the Prince of Wales finally marry Mrs Parker-Bowles? With both her sister and her mother dying less than two months apart, how is the Queen's health and state of mind?

Nick Witchell:
The Queen's health and her state of mind are excellent so far as one can tell these things. But people say that she's an extremely strong woman and has inherited that stamina and strength from her mother.

Can the Prince of Wales marry Mrs Parker-Bowles? Well that is a matter really for him. It is complicated of course because as soon as the Prince of Wales marries anybody that person automatically becomes the Princess of Wales and there is a very negative resonance there quite clearly. But I think it is more likely that things will move in that direction now with the Queen Mother's death because Prince Charles would have been very anxious not to offend her in this domestic area of marriage.

Newshost:
Gary Glason, UK: What's the protocol governing black armbands or ties and would it be correct to wear an armband on return to work on Tuesday, until after the funeral or just on the funeral day?

Nick Witchell:
I think these days that's very much a matter of personal choice. Certainly at the time of George VI's death in 1952, people rushed out and bought black ties. Many people did wear them as well as black armbands. There is no correct protocol, I suppose in the year 2002, it's very much a matter of personal choice.

Newshost:
Geoff T, UK: It is sad, but do we get the day off?

Nick Witchell:
No.

Newshost:
Sally Lane, Canada: Why was Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, called a commoner when she came from a high aristocratic family and was descended from Scottish kings?

Nick Witchell:
Very good question. The fact is that when she was born she didn't have a title because her father hadn't succeeded to the earldom - the Earl of Strathmore. So she was born plain, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. But when her father did succeed and became the Earl of Strathmore, she then became Lady Bowes-Lyon. It's all a bit, again, rather esoteric quite frankly.

Newshost:
A couple of critical e-mails now. Paul, UK: It's a terrible thing for somebody to die - my condolences go to the Queen Mother's family. The Queen Mother has lived a questionable life, spending taxpayers' money so that she may live a life of luxury whilst serving no real purpose. I know people will criticise comments like these but are they not valid for a lot of people in the UK now?

D, UK: A nation mourns, is how the press is describing the Queen Mother's death, but is it? How reflective do you think the coverage of her death is of the country?

Nick Witchell:
I think the majority of people in this country are quite affected by her death. I think there is a recognition that this was a women who did much for the country which brings us to this first question.

But in dealing with the second question, it is, I suppose, the most significant moment in terms of mourning clearly since the death of Diana Princess of Wales. That was quite different obviously because she was a young woman, whose death was in shocking circumstances.

But in answer to the first question - she's lived a questionable life? Well, she certainly didn't have much sense of the value of money - she never needed to, I suppose. She was, yes, extravagant. She lived a luxurious life, there was no question about that. But when he says, she served no real purpose - well, I think it's not the view of anyone who actually lived through the Second World War. I think there is a degree of understanding of what this nation faced when it was fighting for its life and the role then of the woman who was Queen Consort supporting her husband who was most unsuited to the throne - who many people feel would have not been able to maintain morale without the support of his wife and at a time when the country was fighting for its life - that perhaps could be construed as serving some at least purpose. Her biggest contribution was in helping the monarchy to recover after the abdication crisis and in sustaining her husband, sustaining the spirits of this country when it was fighting for its life between 1939 and 1945.

Newshost:
Do you think she's made an effort to stay relevant to young people or has she left that to the younger members of the Royal Family?

Nick Witchell:
I think that was her great gift, that she had a genuine interest in people, things and places. It was never put on - although she had the gift, as it were, of an actress, it was never insincere. She was genuinely curious about people whom she met in all walks of life and all parts - not just this country - but around the world. She brought this different style to the House of Windsor. It had been very distant and remote before she came along and joined the Royal Family in 1923. She, if you like, maintained the dignity of monarchy but gave it a lighter touch which I think was very helpful to the monarchy in those days - 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

Newshost:
Anastasia, Russia: Why didn't the Queen Mother become Queen to rule the country after the death of her husband? Why was this duty passed to her daughter?

Nick Witchell:
Well, because she was Queen Consort. There are three types of Queen - it's rather complicated: there's Queen Regina, who is actually the sovereign - as we have Elizabeth II who inherits the throne because she was next in line. There's the Queen Consort who is the woman who marries the King - who is not the sovereign, who is not the head of state and does not become the head of state on the death of the King and there's the Queen Dowager which is what of course she became after the death of her husband, the King.

Newshost:
Denise, USA: It is a pity she lived to see the dissolution of her family and erosion of respect for the monarchy. How do you think she felt about this?

Nick Witchell:
I think she was genuinely troubled and rather puzzled by the differences and the problems of a domestic nature that younger members of the Royal Family experienced. Her upbringing - her background - was that marriage was for life. She came from that generation which didn't really recognise the idea of divorce and I think that she was undoubtedly very troubled by it and by the unhappiness that it caused to her grandchildren.

Newshost:
J. Oliver, UK: They soon lowered the flag to half mast at Buckingham Palace but remember it took them six days to do it for Diana. Do you think the Royal Family have learnt a lesson on what's expected of them?

Nick Witchell:
Yes, I think undoubtedly they have. I think they learnt a very salutary lesson. They recognised that they made a major error over the way they handled the aftermath of the death of the Princess of Wales. They were very quick to put the flag at half mast after the death of Princess Margaret seven weeks ago and, as you say, the Union flag was at half mast over Buckingham Palace immediately the death was announced yesterday.

Newshost:
Was it true she liked a tipple?

Nick Witchell:
Yes - oh yes - she had a considerable capacity - champagne was her favourite drink and gin and Dubonnet - but she never regarded Dubonnet as being alcoholic. She had an unquenchable appetite for life, shall we put it that way.