| PHOTO GALLERY: The Royals Honour Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother |
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| Written by Joanne Leyland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday, 09 July 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Location: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland Date: Friday 7th July 2006  Apart
from the Queen, Camilla was the only senior royal lady to attend the
opening of the garden honouring a woman who, behind the scenes at
least, did little to stop her beloved grandson's affair with Mrs Parker
Bowles.The Queen Mother often loaned her Scottish home of Birkhall to Charles and Camilla for isolated weekend's away from the cameras. It was here, however, that a determined photographer took the first photograph of the married heir to the throne and his "other woman" as the departed the house and left in a Range Rover. Publicly, however, the Queen Mother was disapproving and would not officially "receive" Camilla in her capacity as Charles's unofficial consort. Although the world never saw the Queen Mother and Camilla together in public, in private it was a different matter during the years she was married to Andrew Parker Bowles. Camilla and her husband often attended private house parties hosted by the party-loving Queen Mother. As the very public (but still unofficial) partner of the future King, divorcee Mrs Parker Bowles attended the funeral of Her Majesty in April 2002. As a Palace aide explained: "She knew the Queen Mother well over the years and it is therefore appropriate that she should come." In time, Camilla would inherit much from the late Queen Mother's life. The engagement ring Charles gave his lover of over three decades was originally a "love token" which was given to Elizabeth by her husband, King George VI. Charles was "deeply moved" by his mother's decision to allow him to give this ring, estimated to be worth around £500,000, to Camilla. Charles and Camilla also now spend much of their lives at Birkhall, which Charles inherited and has since turned into something of a shrine to the memory of his grandmother.  The royal party pose together for photographs in the memorial garden to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who died at the age of 101 on Marcdh 30th 2002.The 'Queen Mum', as she was affectionately known worldwide, was incredibly close to Camilla's first husband, Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, and in later years invited him to stay at her private homes with his second wife, Rosemary. Andrew's parents, Derek and Ann Parker Bowles, were incredibly close friends and a huge support to the Dowager Queen following the death of her husband, King George VI, in February 1952. The Parker Bowleses' were major figures in the racing world, owning a 1000-acre estate, Donnington Castle House, close to Newbury racecourse where the Queen Mother spent many happy times watching her horses compete.  The Queen lines up for a photograph with Charles and Camilla, monarch and eldest son at ease with each other. However, privately there've been concerns over Charles's behaviour, not least his extravagant nature which he inherited from his grandmother who lived a very Edwardian life of servants and grand homes.Speaking to royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, the Queen's cousin and close friend, Margaret Rhodes, said of the relationship between monarch and heir: "There's no use denying it. Things have gone slightly awry with Charles. The Queen finds Prince Charles very difficult. He is extravagant and she doesn't like that. It's incredibly sad, it's a fractured family." Although there are tensions between the Queen and Charles, it was a very different story between the Queen and her mother. Both were incredibly close, a constant source of love and support to each other. Even at the end of her life, when the Queen was by now in her seventies, the Queen Mother was still referred to as "Mummy" by 'Lilibet'. The Queen (along with Mrs Rhodes) was at her mother's side when she passed away on the afternoon of Saturday 30th March 2002 at her Royal Lodge home in the grounds of Windsor.  The Queen and Prince Philip (in what has to be one of the most unflattering images of the Duke) take a walk through the memorial gardens.The Duke had a somewhat uneasy relationship with his mother-in-law. The Queen Mother — who sadly harboured a lifelong hatred of all-things German following World War Two — disparagingly nicknamed Philip "The Hun up the road" due to his sisters having been married to German officers and the German blood which runs through his veins. Speaking about her mean-spirited treatment of Philip, a close friend said: "The Queen Mother knew it would make him furious and that was the whole point of the joke. He obviously couldn't retaliate. At first she was Queen, then she was a little old lady." Nevertheless, the oft-criticised Philip was never anything but a gentleman towards the woman who was an ever-present figure in his life for over 55 years. As age took its toll towards the end of her life the Prince often gently took her arm to offer his support.  It's ok, the Prince of Wales is smelling rather than talking to this plant!Charles was devastated by the death of his grandmother, although her passing had been expected. Nevetheless, the Prince had left the country for a skiing holiday in Klosters with Prince William and Prince Harry when the Queen Mother died, resulting in the Wales family cutting short their break to return to Britain. Speaking in a televised tribute to the Queen Mother, Charles spoke movingly of the woman who, many opine, was more of a mother to him than his own, the Prince recalling: "Above all, she saw the funny side of life and we laughed until we cried." "Oh, how I shall miss her laugh and wonderful wisdom born of so much experience and an innate sensitivity to life — she understood the British character and her heart belonged to this ancient old land. 'Her departure has left an irreplaceable chasm in countless lives but, thank God, we are all the richer for the sheer joy of her presence and everything she stood for.' Comment on this article
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