Queen Mother’s letters provide a pre-season boost to Castle of Mey
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A RECENT book revealing the Queen Mother’s personal correspondence throughout her life could bring a visitor boost to the Castle of Mey in the upcoming summer season.
Counting One’s Blessings: Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by William Shallcross draws on the royal archive at Glamis Castle and elsewhere to paint a picture of the Queen Mother through her private correspondence.
She was a keen letter-writer from her earliest childhood to the very end of her life, and the letters shine a light on her private persona.
Local MP John Thurso paid tribute to the Queen Mum’s humorous written observations and said her personal reflections would undoubtedly draw people to her far north home.
He noted that the Queen Mum had used P. G. Wodehouse’s term "browsing and sluicing" in correspondence with his father and said it was typical of her style.
John Thurso said: "I think the book will be a fascinating insight into her character and a personal part of her life that we see reflected in the Castle of Mey, which was her only privately owned residence.
"People who have read this book and come north to visit the Castle of Mey will see a unique insight into her character at the castle."
The book, which was authorised by the Queen to mark her diamond jubilee, spans two world wars and the Queen Mum’s experiences of marrying into the royal family. The letters reveal her dilemma over whether to marry "Bertie", the Duke of York.
It also includes her notes on the abdication crisis of 1936 and the death of "Bertie", King George VI in 1952, followed by her adaptation to her new role as Queen Mother.
In January 1923, following a three-year courtship, the then Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon wrote to one of her closest friends of feeling "terrified" at the prospect of marrying into the royal family, having finally accepted the duke’s proposal.
Motherhood is also played out in the correspondence as she writes about her young daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose.
In a letter to her midwife and maternity nurse Anne Beevers, dated October 1926 when Princess Elizabeth was six months old, she described her daughter as "sharp as a needle".
In her letters, she also revealed that she was not in favour of Prince Charles being schooled at Gordonstoun and thought Eton would be a better choice. Her views were over-ruled by the Duke of Edinburgh who decided that Charles should attend his alma mater.
Her instincts proved to be correct and Charles went on to express his dislike of the spartan regime.
Ashe Windham, chairman of the Castle of Mey Trust, welcomed the book and said he was pleased that it included a number of letters written to and from the Castle of Mey.
"William Shallcross was given unrivalled access to the royal archive and as a trusted royal biographer has seen numerous letters that Her Majesty wrote both to and from the Castle of Mey.
"Her humanity, intelligence and sense of humour shine through in this splendid book."
Mr Windham said that visitor numbers last year at the castle stood at around 21,300, which was slightly down on the previous year. But he looked forward to the coming season and said visitors from several cruise ships are expected. The Castle of Mey opens on May 1.
Upcoming events at the Castle of Mey include the Mey 10k run which will take place on May 12.
New to the 2013 event will be the inclusion of the "Mey Mile" for younger runners. The fun run takes place after the start of the main event with runners making their way up the main drive from the castle, before turning to come back down the drive towards the main Castle of Mey 10K finish. Entries for this event are taken on race day.
