Queen Mary's presence at the Coronation on 12th May 1937 changed Royal Protocol - previously the Dowager Queen, or widow of the preceding sovereign, had "stayed away" from the coronation of his successor.
HM Queen Mary in the Coronation Procession, 12th May 1937
George V and Queen Mary had five sons and a daughter - Edward (b. 23rd June 1894), Albert (b.14th December 1895), Mary (b. 25th April 1897) Henry (b. 31st March 1900) George (b.20th December 1902) and John (b. 12th July 1905). Prince John died young in 1919.
While the exact relationship between Queen Mary and her son, Edward, remains a matter of historical controversy, it is known that both George V and Queen Mary thoroughly disapproved of Wallis Simpson. With hindsight, following the death of George V, the strain between mother and son was only too evident:
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| Respect. King Edward VIII greets his mother, Queen Mary, at the Remembrance Day Parade, 11th November 1936. The beginning of the "Great Constitutional Crisis" is only a matter of days away. |
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| Wariness. Edward VIII escorts his mother - at a safe distance. |
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| Exasperation. The King and the Queen Dowager not seeing eye to eye. |
Who knows what Queen Mary would have done in the VBCW? While her public support would have been invaluable to either of the contestants for the throne, her conflict of interest - a choice between her two eldest sons - would have been overwhelming. It may be, therefore, that she chose seclusion at Sandringham throughout the duration of the conflict. On the other hand, given that she was a redoubtable lady, it may be that she took a much more active part...
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| Queen Mary and her daughter, Princess Mary, on a tour of a VBCW Battlefield. Or, as some would have it, a WW1 Battlefield. Either way - regal wheels! |
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