Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Queen consort of the United Kingdom from 1936 to 1952 (1900–2002) (–)
About
When the Blitz began in 1940, the royal family faced a choice: evacuate to safety or stay with their people. Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) made her decision clear. Buckingham Palace was hit during the Blitz (notably on 13 Sept 1940). Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) reportedly said: "I am glad we have been bombed. Now we can look the East End in the eye". There were proposals to evacuate Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to Canada/overseas. Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) reportedly refused: "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave." The royal family often slept at Windsor for safety while keeping a public presence in London. Queen Elizabeth visited bomb sites, hospitals and factories, becoming a key morale symbol during the Blitz. Her role wasn't just symbolic. She reportedly learned to use a pistol as a precaution in case of a parachutist raid or invasion scare, one of those very 1940 "just in case" plans. By war's end, her public image had changed dramatically—she was a pillar of morale. You'll often see the claim that Hitler called her "the most dangerous woman in Europe," but that attribution is hard to verify and is treated by some references as apocryphal. Her legacy as Queen Mother endured for over five decades. She lived to 101, witnessing the reign of her daughter Elizabeth II and becoming one of the longest-lived members of the British royal family. 📄 Image Credits All images via Wikimedia Commons:- Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Elizabeth_the_Queen_Mother_portrait.jpg - World War II: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-646-5188-17,_Flugzeuge_Junkers_Ju_87.jpg - Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Margaret_1950_%28F1257_s1057_it4930%29.jpg See links for full license details. 🔔 Subscribe for more forgotten stories from history: [Your Channel Link] 💬 Which historical figure do you think showed the most courage during WWII? #history #cronologia #WWII