Margaret Rhodes

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Margaret Rhodes LVO (born June 9, 1925 in London - † November 25, 2016 ) was the cousin of the British Queen Elizabeth II and her late sister Princess Margaret . She was maid of honor to the British Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon . She had the courtesy title The Hon. Mrs. Rhodes .

Life

Childhood and employment

Margaret Rhodes was born Margaret Elphinstone in London. She was the youngest daughter of Sidney Buller-Fullerton-Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone (1869–1955) and his wife Mary Bowes-Lyon (1883–1961), a sister of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon , later wife of King George VI . and later "Queen Mum".

Only about ten months older than her cousin, who later became Queen Elizabeth II, she was her playmate and friend as a child. Rhodes was considered the Queen's oldest friend and close confidante.

During the Second World War Rhodes lived at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace . She took a secretary course and worked for the British foreign intelligence service MI6 during the war . During her time as secret service secretary, she was also a close confidante of King George VI, who sought secret information from her. After the end of the Second World War, she left MI6 and went to the newly founded organization European Movement UK as a personnel officer , where she also met her future husband, the writer Denys Gravenor Rhodes (1919-1981). At the time, Rhodes was still married to British actress Rachel Gurney (known on television as Lady Marjorie Bellamy in the British hit series The House on Eaton Place ), but was already separated from her.

marriage and family

On July 31, 1950, she married Denys Gravenor Rhodes; Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister, was one of her bridesmaids. The marriage resulted in four children, two sons and two daughters:

  • Annabel Margaret Rhodes (* 1952)
  • Victoria Ann Rhodes (* 1953), a godchild of Elizabeth II.
  • Simon John Gravenor Rhodes (* 1957), godchild of Princess Margaret
  • Michael Andrew Gravenor Rhodes (* 1960)

Representative tasks

On November 20, 1947, she was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of Elizabeth II and Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey .

From 1991 to 2002 she had with her aunt Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the "Queen Mum", the honorary office of the " Woman of the Bedchamber ", a connection of the honorary office of the " Lady-in-waiting " (lady -in-waiting , chambermaid) with a role as a companion, inside. She held this office for a total of eleven years until the Queen Mum's death in March 2002. She accompanied Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at events and public representation tasks, took care of her private correspondence and acted as the link between the Queen Mum and the public. Rhodes conscientiously carried out her task as Lady-in-Waiting until the Queen Mum's death. In February / March 2002, when the Queen Mother could not leave the house, Rhodes visited her daily. Rhodes was one of the closest family members who sat on Queen Mum's deathbed. In the hours before her death, Rhodes stayed on the Queen Mum's deathbed without a break. After the death of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she spent the day with Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and attended a private service with her the next morning. Rhodes was also responsible for having the Queen Mother's death officially recorded in the Windsor Registrar's Office .

Late years

In 2002 she was named Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO). Rhodes lived in the Garden House in Windsor Great Park , the park of Windsor Castle; her residence was a personal gift from Elizabeth II.

Her childhood friendship with Elizabeth II lasted until her death. Rhodes and Elizabeth II maintained regular contacts. Most of the time they met on Sundays after the morning service; the Queen had her morning cocktail at Rhodes, consisting of gin or Dubonnet .

In June 2012 she was interviewee of the radio program Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 .

Margaret Rhodes died in November 2016 at the age of 91 after a brief illness.

Role in the monarchy

Rhodes was considered a knowledgeable source of information on the private life of the Royal Family. In the run-up to Elizabeth II's 80th birthday celebrations, Rhodes interviewed the BBC and the Daily Mail in 2006 , affirming that, despite other rumors and speculation, the Queen would never abdicate .

In 2011 she published her highly acclaimed autobiography The Final Curtsey , which painted a vivid portrait of the royals in their private moments. In her autobiography she also revealed that Elizabeth II fell in love with her future husband Prince Philip at the age of 13 and that from then on there was no other man for her. Rhodes defended Elizabeth II's absence from London after the death of Princess Diana . In this situation, Elizabeth II acted as a grandmother and not as a queen; out of concern for the well-being of her two grandchildren William and Harry , she subordinated the monarch's duties to the interests of the family for a short time.

In July 2013, she was interviewed by CNN in advance of the birth of the heir to the throne George Alexander Louis in Windsor . She was one of the interviewees in the documentary Elizabeth at 90 - A Family Tribute (2016) by John Bridcut , which was shown on BBC One on the occasion of Elizabeth II's 90th birthday .

Autobiography

  • Margaret Rhodes: The Final Curtsey: The Autobiography of Margaret Rhodes, First Cousin of the Queen and Niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother . Umbria Press. ISBN 978-0-95412-756-5 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ^ A b Queen's cousin Margaret Rhodes dies . BBC News of November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016
  2. ↑ a b c d e THE NATION'S GRANDMOTHER: 10 MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE QUEEN MUM'S LIFE ; in: The Mirror of April 2, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h How Diana's death turned queen into proper granny CNN June 5, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  4. ↑ a b c Margaret Rhodes: I'm blissfully happy ... married to the best and nicest man in the world - the Queen's verdict on life as a newlywed ; In: Daily Mail, June 26, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  5. ↑ NAPPY & GLORIOUS in: Daily Mail, June 26, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  6. ↑ Simon Rhodes ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Yvonne's Royalty Home Page. Retrieved May 12, 2016 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / users.uniserve.com
  7. ^ A b Queen Elizabeth II's cousin Margaret Rhodes: I'm "Not Terribly" Excited About Kate Middleton's Baby in: US Magazine, July 17, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  8. ↑ a b c d Eating lunch off her lap, the Queen as you've never seen her before: Exclusive pictures taken from extraordinary new book by her cousin ; In: Daily Mail, June 12, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  9. ^ The Queen's cousin CNN, July 12, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  10. ↑ Margaret Rhodes broadcast on BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved May 12, 2016
  11. ↑ Queen 'will never quit throne' claims cousin ; in: The Scotsman, April 19, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  12. ^ The Queen will NEVER consider abdicating ; In: Daily Mail, April 20, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  13. ^ A rare look inside the royal family CNN interview with Margaret Rhodes, July 17, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013
  14. ↑ Elizabeth at 90 - A Family Tribute Credits. Official website of John Bridcut. Retrieved May 12, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Rhodes, Margaret
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Elphinstone, Margaret (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
DATE OF BIRTH June 9, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England , UK
DATE OF DEATH November 25, 2016