Page "Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother" Paragraph 9

Prince Albert, Duke of York – " Bertie " to the family – was the second son of King George V. He initially proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, but she turned him down, being " afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to ".

When he declared he would marry no other, his mother, Queen Mary, visited Glamis to see for herself the girl who had stolen her son's heart.

She became convinced that Elizabeth was " the one girl who could make Bertie happy ", but nevertheless refused to interfere.

At the same time, Elizabeth was courted by James Stuart, Albert's equerry, until he left the prince's service for a better-paid job in the American oil business.