[OG Note: For anyone who cares about the fine details, the proper title is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. She is initially addressed as "Your Majesty," and after that may be addressed as "ma'am." The Washington post got that wrong too. BTW, anyone who has a uniformed chauffeur driving her very own spiffy golf cart is very cool in my book.]

BBC 4 August, 2001, 16:03 GMT 17:03 UK Queen Mother greets birthday crowds The Queen Mother spent 40 minutes with the crowds

The Queen Mother has been greeted by cheering crowds as she stepped outside Clarence House on her 101st birthday.

Thousands gathered for the festivities on The Mall, lining the route between her London residence and Buckingham Palace.

The Queen Mother has been determined to take part in the celebrations, despite undergoing a blood transfusion for anaemia earlier this week.

She stumbled for a moment as the Band of the Grenadier Guards marched past with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.

But she quickly regained her footing, and refused to use a chair provided for her.

After accepting flowers, cards and balloons from children, the Queen Mother met well-wishers in Stable Yard Road, outside the gates of Clarence House.

Fans were then delighted when she set off to meet them in her electric buggy, painted in her light blue and gold racing colours.

People who had gathered to meet her sang Happy Birthday and inquired about her health.

Asked how she felt, the Queen Mother replied: "I'm feeling much better."

Salute

As well as gifts and bouquets from well-wishers, she even accepted a glass of champagne from the Guild of Toastmasters before returning to Clarence House.

At midday, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute from Hyde Park to mark the birthday occasion.

Princes Charles, William and Harry then joined the Queen Mother as she reappeared at 1230BST to take the salute from the King's Troop at the gates of Clarence House.

Prince Charles' appearance had been in doubt after he fell from his horse during a polo match on Friday, and spent the night in hospital.

But he was driven away from Cheltenham General Hospital, Gloucestershire, early on Saturday, after being given the all-clear.

Princess Margaret, still suffering the effects of a stroke, was also at her mother's side in a wheelchair and wearing dark glasses to protect her eyes.

The Queen Mother, wearing a turquoise suit and matching hat and supported by walking sticks, continued to wave to the 7,500-strong crowds.

Family lunch

The Queen later arrived at Clarence House and joined her mother and other members of the royal family for a final public appearance before a celebratory birthday lunch.

Other royals taking part in the festivities included the Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York and his daughters, the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Princess Anne with her husband Commodore Timothy Laurence and her children Zara and Peter.

On Saturday evening, the Queen Mother was expected to attend a private engagement with friends.

The celebrations came just two days after she left hospital.

The BBC's royal correspondent Jennie Bond said: "This was steely performance by any standards from a woman who refuses to give in to her age."

Public affection for the woman many call simply the Queen Mum has remained constant.

She became one of the symbols of British defiance in the face of bombings by Nazi Germany when she and the King refused to leave Buckingham Palace, even though it was repeatedly hit.

The shared experience of what became known as the Blitz confirmed her place in the public's affections.

Camping out

Among well-wishers camping overnight outside Clarence House was 67-year-old Terry Hutt, from Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Mr Hutt has slept outside the Queen Mother's home the night before her birthday every year since retiring seven years ago. "I met the Queen Mum when I was about five years old during the Blitz," he said. "For me she's the sort of person that you can speak to. She's kind, thoughtful and she goes out of her way to see everybody."

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

Answers

OG said: "BTW, anyone who has a uniformed chauffeur driving her very own spiffy golf cart is very cool in my book."

I noticed the chauffeur even had driving gloves on while driving the golf cart.. both looking very regal.

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

101 years old, wow! I'm betting it can be traced to her diet. Kidney pies, blood pudding, countless pints of warm, flat, ale. What do you think, Old Git, am I on the right track?

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

Um, I think HM is a gin tippler, actually. And don't forget they have the finest medical care--as I recall, there's even a full operating room at Buckingham Palace.

That blood transfusion--I doubt it's just anemia. That would be a symptom of something more serious, I suspect. Leukemia springs to mind. Or perhaps some sort of bleed somewhere. But the old lady won't allow any news to be broadcast until she has only a few hours left.

The Washington Post had this BS about how she was a commoner before she married Prince Albert (who became George VI after The Duke of Windsor's abdication). Yeah, right, she was from the Bowes-Lyon family (I believe she was then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon) and she was born at Glamis (pron. "Glahms") Castle in Scotland--you should see that place. It ain't no tract house. Commoner, my sweet white arms.

I think her Scots genes have kept her going so well. I can't recall her having any serious health problems, unlike her other daughter, Margaret--but Margaret has had a, um, difficult life and has not used it wisely.

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

Glamis Castle

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

She loves gin and tonic, and the horse races too if I recall... last year some archbishop made a comment about her longevity that she was pickled from all the gin :)

I think the Washington Post got confused a bit, she came from the aristocracy, but not actual royalty...

she's a character, that's for sure ...

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001

Well, maybe not royalty but she was the youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, and Earls are pretty high up on the food chain. (Princess Diana was the youngest daughter of Earl Spencer.) Supposedly, some genealogy experts have the Queen Mother tracing back her ancestry to Macbeth. I can't remember any more of her lineage. The Bowes-Lyons family has extensive holdings in England too, at St, Paul's Walden in Hertfordshire, as I recall.

The Times gave the impression she was a bit like you and me, you know cleaning her own bathroom, doing her own laundry. NOT!

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001

OG, don't get your knickers in a twist...

I admire the Queen Mum as much as you do. If I didn't, I could post a really rude picture of the QM after a rough night, but I won't.

The difference between commoner and aristocrat is a fine line most of us colonists have a hard time with...

-- Anonymous, August 05, 2001