Her world at war

By CNN's Avril Stephens

The Royal Family inspect bomb damage to Buckingham Palace during World War II, 1940

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The Queen Mother was a rallying point for a beleaguered nation during World War II.

She stood firm against the threat of invasion by Adolf Hitler's Third Reich and won the hearts and minds of the public by her wartime work and wit.

The Queen Mother and her husband, King George VI, were ill prepared for the role thrust upon them by the abdication of Edward VIII only two years earlier.

The couple had been active supporters of Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement, and during the early bombing of London, Coventry and Plymouth she would visit dressed in the finest satin and furs.

It was only when part of Buckingham Palace was bombed in September 1940 that she felt she could relate to the suffering being endured by the country.

While surveying the damage she famously said: "I'm glad we have been bombed; I feel I can look the East End in the face."

She had resisted calls for herself and her two teen-age daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, to flee London for the safety of North America.

"The children will not leave unless I do," various sources have reported her as saying. "I shall not leave unless their father does, and the king will not leave the country in any circumstances whatever."

The royal standard flew defiantly over the palace throughout the war, and the Queen Mother learned how to shoot a revolver, practising her aim in the palace gardens.

The Queen Mother toured the country regularly, sharing in its woes, visiting badly damaged hospitals and factories, and keeping up the morale of the troops.

Queen Elizabeth II (left), the Queen Mother (centre) and Princess Margaret wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day, May 8, 1995

Her smile, coupled with the bulldog spirit of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, helped keep the country together.

It was in stark contrast to the actions of the Duke of Windsor, who, after his abdication and the fall of France in 1940, deserted his post as a British officer and fled to Spain and neutral Portugal, after which he was sent to the Bahamas as governor.

During his time in Portugal, Edward exchanged correspondence with Hitler, whom he and the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, met shortly after the abdication.

The Queen Mother drew on her experiences during World War I to help her through the Blitz. As a teen-ager, she, elder sister Rosie and their mother, Lady Strathmore, cared for soldiers, writing letters for them to their loved ones and running errands to buy their tobacco.

The family also learned to cope with loss when the Queen Mother's elder brother, Fergus, was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915 and another brother, Michael, was held prisoner for two years.

During World War II, she encouraged her daughter, the future queen, to help the youth of the country.

Princess Elizabeth made her first broadcast in October 1940 to all the children caught up in the war, especially those who had been evacuated for safety reasons.

When victory came, the royal family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and shared in the country's joy and relief.

King George VI said in his VE Day broadcast on May 8, 1945: "The Queen and I know the ordeals which you have endured throughout the Commonwealth and Empire.

"We are proud to have shared some of these ordeals with you, and we know also that together we shall all face the future with stern resolve and prove that our reserves of willpower and vitality are inexhaustible."

Fifty years later, the Queen Mother was to stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony again, this time for VE Day anniversary commemorations. She also officially opened events in Hyde Park.

In a solemn yet uplifting ceremony, the Queen Mother paid her own moving tribute.

"This day will bring back many memories to many people," she said. "And I hope that all those who go to the many ceremonies will remember with pride and gratitude those men and women, armed and unarmed, whose courage really helped to bring us victory. God bless them all."

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