Mary of Teck - Children, The Crown & Death (2024)

(1867-1953)

Who Was Mary of Teck?

Mary of Teck, also known as Victoria Mary of Teck, was raised in an upper-class family in Great Britain. After losing her first fiancé to influenza, she married his brother, the future King George V. During her reign as consort, she was a strong advocate for her husband as the kingdom experienced change. When the king fell ill, she attended to him until his death. Afterward, she endured her son, Edward VIII's, abdication of the throne and continued her charitable service to her country until her death.

Early Years

Mary of Teck, christened with the names, Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes, was born on May 26, 1867, in London, England. She was the only daughter of Francis, Duke of Teck (a small principality in Germany), and Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, a member of the British Royal Family. Informally known as "Princess May" after the month in which she was born, she was the eldest of four children and early on served as peacemaker to her three male siblings.

Young Princess Mary was educated at home by her mother and a governess. Though her mother was descended from King George III of Great Britain, they were only minor members of the British Royal Family. Before Mary's 16th birthday, the family became deep in debt, and from 1883 to 1885 they lived on the Continent with relatives in order to economize. During this time, Mary served as her mother's unofficial secretary, helping to organize parties and social events.

Royal Life

At age 24, she became engaged to Prince Albert Victor (known as Eddy), the Prince of Wales and eldest son of Edward VII of Great Britain. The choice of Mary as his bride was influenced by Queen Victoria, who was very fond of her and her strong character and sense of duty. Tragically, Albert died a few weeks before their wedding, during the influenza pandemic of 1891-92.

During her mourning period, Albert's brother, Prince George, Duke of York, became close to Mary, and in May, 1893, he proposed. They were married in July of that year and went on to have six children. Though the children were cared for by a nanny, as was the tradition with many upper-class families, Mary was a caring mother who spent time with her children, revealing her fun-loving side and teaching them history and music.

READ MORE: Edward VII, George V and Edward VIII: The Complicated Relationship Between the British Kings and Their Heirs

As Duke and duch*ess of York, George and Mary carried out their public duties, making several official tours of the British Empire. On May 6, 1910, George's father, Edward VII, died. George ascended the throne as George V, and Mary became Queen Consort. When World War I broke out, Queen Mary instituted food rationing at the palace, and the couple frequently visited wounded servicemen.

As George V faced transformational change in Great Britain after the war, Queen Mary was his most dedicated adviser on matters of state. She remained self-assured and calm in public appearances during the civil unrest over social conditions, Irish independence and Indian nationalism. As George V became increasingly ill due to a lung condition, Queen Mary paid greater attention to his care. In 1935, the couple celebrated their silver jubilee, and during his speech George paid public tribute to his wife with great emotion and sincerity.

On January 20, 1936, George V died, and his eldest son, Edward, ascended the throne. Within a year, Edward abdicated to marry his American mistress, Wallis Simpson. Queen Mary was dismayed at her son's decision to put personal feelings above duty, but resigned herself to the decision and turned her support to her next son, Albert Frederick Arthur George, (known as Bertie) who would ascend the throne as George VI. Throughout her son's reign, Queen Mary took a strong interest in the upbringing of her two granddaughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. During World War II, she once again made visits to the troops and factories, and directed campaigns for salvaging scrap metal for the war effort.

Death and Legacy

In 1952, King George VI died, and Queen Mary's eldest granddaughter, Elizabeth, ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Mary died the next year at age 85, only 10 weeks before her granddaughter's coronation. The ocean liners RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Mary 2 were named in her honor, as was Queen Mary College at the University of London. It has been said that Queen Mary was above politics, and that she was humorous and worldly, though sometimes cold and hard, but always totally dedicated to her husband and her position as queen.

  • Name: Mary of Teck
  • Birth Year: 1867
  • Birth date: May 26, 1867
  • Birth City: London, England
  • Birth Country: United Kingdom
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Mary of Teck became Queen Mary, consort of King George V. She was the mother of kings Edward VIII and George VI, and the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Industries
    • Politics and Government
  • Astrological Sign: Gemini
  • Death Year: 1953
  • Death date: March 24, 1953
  • Death City: London, England
  • Death Country: United Kingdom

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  • Article Title: Mary of Teck Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/royalty/mary-of-teck
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: June 17, 2020
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
  • You are a member of the British Royal Family: We are never tired and we all love hospitals.
  • Never refuse an invitation to sit down, and take every opportunity to relieve yourself.
  • This is a pretty kettle of fish.
  • When I die, India will be found engraved on my heart.
Mary of Teck - Children, The Crown & Death (2024)

FAQs

Did Queen Mary have a German accent? ›

Mary was a princess born and raised in the UK, but with the title "Mary of Teck", since her father was a German Prince of Teck, in the Kingdom of Württemberg - so she may well have acquired something of a Teutonic accent at home as a child - before she married George V in 1893.

Was Mary of Teck Queen Elizabeth's mother? ›

Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 1867 – 24 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George V. She was the mother of King Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor) and King George VI, and grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

What was the cause of death for Queen Mary of Teck? ›

Mary reportedly had a haemorrhage on 24 March 1953. A bulletin released at Marlborough House at 11:40 am announced that there were concerns for her health condition. A second bulletin at 1:40 pm stated that her condition had "become more grave" and there was "a serious weakening of the heart action".

What happened to Mary of Teck's children? ›

Queen Mary lost three of her sons during her lifetime. The first heartbreak came with the death of 13-year-old Prince John in 1919, who suffered a fatal seizure a few weeks after the Armistice. The next tragedy came in 1942, when Prince George, Duke of Kent was killed in an air accident at the age of 39.

Were the Windsors originally German? ›

Here is an overview of the Windsors' deep German roots. If not for World War I, the British royal family would still go by a German name. The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha stemmed from the marriage in 1840 of Queen Victoria to Albert, the scion of a modest royal dynasty from northeastern Bavaria.

How tall was Queen Mary? ›

Mary was tall (5 foot 11 inches; 180 cm) and apparently fit; she regularly walked between her palaces at Whitehall and Kensington, and it appeared likely she would outlive her husband and sister, both of whom suffered from ill-health.

Was Queen Mary deaf? ›

Queen consort to King George V. Apparently was hard of hearing, becoming very deaf in old age; her smooth prowess in public functions suggests that she was an excellent lipreader. The ocean liner Queen Mary, at that time the largest ship in the world, was named in her honor.

Which Mary was Elizabeth's cousin? ›

When did Mary, Queen of Scots return to England? Mary was Elizabeth's cousin and an heir to the English throne through her Tudor grandmother, Margaret, Henry VIII's older sister.

Was Mary Elizabeth's half sister? ›

Mary Tudor and her younger half-sister Elizabeth were never expected to reign as Queens, however, the inability of Henry and his many wives to produce a son that lived long enough to reign, made their accession more and more likely.

Who was Queen Mary of Teck supposed to marry? ›

At the age of 24, she was betrothed to her second cousin once removed Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales and second in line to the throne. Six weeks after the announcement of the engagement, he died unexpectedly during a pandemic.

Did Queen Mary of Teck have red hair? ›

Queen Mary of Teck – Consort of King George V

In many of her earlier portraits as a young woman, Mary was depicted with reddish-golden hair. She went on to marry Prince George, Duke of York in 1893, who later became King George V upon his accession to the throne in 1910.

Were George V and Mary of Teck related? ›

King George, like his father, King Edward VII and his grandmother, Queen Victoria, also married his cousin, Mary of Teck. Son of King Edward VII, George V was the great-grandson of King George III. Following the same lineage, Queen Mary was the great-granddaughter of King George III, which made the two second cousins.

What happened to Mary's son after she died? ›

She died aged 69, unmarried and childless. Mary's son, King James VI of Scotland, became King James I of England. It was not until 1612 that Mary's son had her remains moved to Westminster Abbey, where he had commissioned her a grand monumental tomb.

Is Queen Victoria related to Queen Elizabeth? ›

Elizabeth is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother. Working backward in time, the tie can be traced: Elizabeth's father was George VI (1895 to 1952).

Who was Mary of Teck's mother? ›

Queen Mary was the daughter of Francis, Prince and Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, granddaughter of George III.

Why did the Queen Mother speak German? ›

Queen Victoria's mother was originally from Germany, so Victoria spoke only German for the first three years of her life. Furthermore, she was raised by the German baroness Louise Lehzen and also received private German tuition during her school years.

Did the British royal family speak German? ›

Over the past 300 years, strong ties have continued to be forged between the English throne and German noble families. King Charles, too, has German ancestry. He even speaks fluent German — with a genteel British accent.

Did Queen Victoria speak fluent German? ›

Victoria was multilingual

As well as being fluent in both English and German, Victoria also spoke French, Italian and Latin. She and Albert regularly wrote to each other in German.

What queen of England was German? ›

Charlotte was Britain's longest-serving queen consort, serving for 57 years and 70 days. Charlotte was born into the ruling family of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a duchy in northern Germany. In 1760, the young and unmarried George III inherited the British throne.

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