KATE MIDDLETON - TO DRESS A PRINCESS
Queen Elizabeth - Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
THE KING’S SPEECH - ELEVEN THINGS THE MOVIE WON’T TELL YOU ABOUT HIS QUEEN by C. M. Rubin
The King’s Speech is the private story of a famous public man, King George VI (Prince Albert, Duke of York, also known as “Bertie”, played by Colin Firth), his Queen, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (played by Helena Bonham Carter), who loved him, and the Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush), who helped him overcome his stammer and in the process find his voice at a time when Great Britain needed strong leadership. Colin Firth collected a Screen Actor’s Guild award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA award, and an Academy Award for his performance as King George VI. Here are ELEVEN things The King’s Speech won’t tell you about King George VI’s real life love, his Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
1. Elizabeth was born the Honorable Elizabeth in London, England on August 4, 1900, and died on March 30, 2002 at age 101 as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
2. She was the ninth and second to last child in a warm and close family, and she became Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon when her father was named the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
3. Elizabeth loved talking and was known throughout her life to be able to talk to anyone, her philosophy for life being: “Life is for living and working at. If you find anything or anybody a bore, the fault is in yourself.”
4. She was educated at home at first by her mother and then by French governesses, and by the time she was ten, she spoke French fluently.
5. A dance in London in May, 1920 is reputed to be the place she made a big impression on Prince Albert, although the courtship that followed had many ups and downs, since young Elizabeth kept turning down the Duke’s marriage proposals.
6. She finally accepted the Duke of York’s proposal and their marriage took place at Westminster Abbey on April 26, 1923.
7. Her wedding gown, which followed the fashions of the day, was designed by Madame Handley Seymour, a former London Court dressmaker. After the Duke and Duchess became King and Queen in 1937, fashion designer Norman Hartnell was summoned into Royal service to create Elizabeth’s regal transformation.
8. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth went to Canada and the United States after their coronation, where they became close friends with President and Mrs. Roosevelt.
9. After bombs were dropped on Buckingham Palace in World War II, Elizabeth is remembered for saying: “I’m glad we’ve been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End (of London which suffered much devastation from the bombings) in the face.”
10. When advisors recommended her two daughters be evacuated to Canada, the Queen replied: “They cannot go without me, I will never leave the king, and he will never leave the country.”
11. On the subject of the importance of Royal duties, Elizabeth once told her daughters: “The work you do is the rent you pay for the room you occupy on earth.”
On April 29, 2011, Westminster Abbey will be the setting for the most anticipated wedding of the year — the Royal Wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Kate (Catherine) Middleton. To honor the event, author C. M.(Catherine) Rubin and designer Theresa Blake have joined forces to bring you a series of stories which focus on wedding dresses worn by famous Royal Princesses and Queens over the centuries that continue to inspire wedding dress designers and brides to this day. Who knows? Perhaps one of these historic royal gowns has already inspired the best kept secret for April 29, 2011 — what will Princess-to-be Kate Middleton be wearing?
C. M. Rubin and Theresa Blake met when they collaborated on a reproduction of the design of the original wedding dress worn by Alice Pleasance Liddell (the Alice behind Wonderland) at her wedding in 1880 in the world reknowned Westminster Abbey in London. An illustration of Alice Liddell’s dress was featured in C.M. Rubin’s bestselling book, The Real Alice In Wonderland.
Queen Mum
