Claim: Elizabeth II is not the Queen of the United Kingdom.

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon -LRB- 4 August 1900 -- 30 March 2002 -RRB- was the wife of King George VI and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret , Countess of Snowdon . She was Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from her husband 's accession in 1936 until his death in 1952 , after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , to avoid confusion with her daughter . She was the last Empress consort of India .   Born into a family of British nobility , she came to prominence in 1923 when she married Albert , Duke of York , the second son of King George V and Queen Mary . The couple and their daughters embodied traditional ideas of family and public service . She undertook a variety of public engagements and became known for her consistently cheerful countenance .   In 1936 , her husband unexpectedly became king when his brother , Edward VIII , abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson . Elizabeth became queen . She accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and North America before the start of World War II . During the war , her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public . In recognition of her role as an asset to British interests , Adolf Hitler described her as `` the most dangerous woman in Europe '' . After the war , her husband 's health deteriorated and she was widowed at the age of 51 . Her elder daughter , aged 25 , became the new queen .   On the death of Queen Mary in 1953 , Elizabeth became the most senior member of the British royal family after the sovereign , and was viewed as the family matriarch . In her later years , she was a consistently popular member of the family , even when other members were suffering from low levels of public approval . She continued an active public life until just a few months before her death at the age of 101 , seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter , Princess Margaret .