View source for Mary of Teck

{{Short description|Queen of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936}}
{{About other people|the consort of George V}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image         = Queenmaryformalportrait edit3.jpg
| alt           = Mary in tiara and gown wearing a choker necklace and a string of diamonds
| caption       = Formal portrait, 1920s
| consort       = yes
| succession    = {{plainlist|
* {{Br separated entries|[[Queen consort of the United Kingdom]]|and the [[British Dominions]]}}
* [[Empress consort of India]]
}}
| reign         = 6 May 1910 – 20 January 1936
| coronation    = 22 June 1911
| cor-type      = [[Coronation of George V and Mary|Coronation]]
| coronation1   = 12 December 1911
| cor-type1     = {{nowrap|[[Delhi Durbar#Durbar of 1911|Imperial Durbar]]}}
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1867|5|26|df=y}}
| birth_name    = Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
| birth_place   = [[Kensington Palace]], London, England
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1953|3|24|1867|5|26|df=yes}}
| death_place   = [[Marlborough House]], London, England
| burial_date   = 31 March 1953
| burial_place  = North Nave Aisle, [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]]
| spouse        = {{marriage|[[George V]]|6 July 1893|20 January 1936|end=died<!--Please do not link, see [[WP:OVERLINK]]-->}}
| issue         = {{ubl | [[Edward VIII]] | [[George VI]] | [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood]] | [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester]] | [[Prince George, Duke of Kent]] | [[Prince John of the United Kingdom|Prince John]]}}
| full name     = Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes
| house         = [[Duke of Teck|Teck]]
| father        = [[Francis, Duke of Teck]]
| mother        = [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge]]
| signature     = Mary of Teck signature.svg
| signature_alt = Queen Mary's signature
}}

'''Mary of Teck''' (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 1867{{spnd}}24 March 1953) was [[List of British royal consorts|Queen of the United Kingdom]] and the [[British Dominions]], and [[Empress of India]], from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of [[King George V]].

Born and raised in [[London]], Mary was the daughter of [[Francis, Duke of Teck]], a German nobleman, and [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge]], a granddaughter of [[King George III]]. She was informally known as "May", after the month of her birth. At the age of 24, she was betrothed to her second cousin once removed [[Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale]], who was second in line to the throne. Six weeks after the announcement of the engagement, he died unexpectedly during [[1889–1890 pandemic|a pandemic]]. The following year, she became engaged to Albert Victor's only surviving brother, George, who subsequently became king. Before her husband's accession, she was successively [[Duchess of York]], [[Duchess of Cornwall]], and [[Princess of Wales]].

As [[queen consort]] from 1910, Mary supported her husband through the [[First World War]], his ill health, and major political changes arising from the [[Aftermath of World War I|aftermath of the war]]. After [[Death and state funeral of George V|George's death]] in 1936, she became [[queen mother]] when her eldest son, [[Edward VIII]], ascended the throne. To her dismay, [[Abdication of Edward VIII|he abdicated]] later the same year in order to marry twice-divorced American socialite [[Wallis Simpson]]. She supported her second son, [[George VI]], until [[Death and state funeral of George VI|his death]] in 1952. [[Death and funeral of Mary of Teck|Mary died]] the following year, ten weeks before her granddaughter [[Elizabeth II]] was [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|crowned]]. An [[RMS Queen Mary|ocean liner]], a [[HMS Queen Mary|battlecruiser]], and [[Queen Mary University of London|a university]] were [[List of titles and honours of Mary of Teck#Honorific eponyms|named in her honour]].

==Early life==
[[File:Family of Teck.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Mary as an infant with her parents]]
{{Teck-Cambridge Family}}
Victoria Mary of Teck was born on 26 May 1867 at [[Kensington Palace]], London, in the room where [[Queen Victoria]], her first cousin once removed, had been born 48 years and two days earlier. Queen Victoria came to visit the baby, writing that she was "a very fine one, with pretty little features and a quantity of hair".<ref name=times/>

Her father was [[Francis, Duke of Teck]], the son of [[Duke Alexander of Württemberg (1804–1885)|Duke Alexander of Württemberg]] by his [[morganatic]] wife, [[Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde]]. Her mother was [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge]], a granddaughter of [[King George III]] and the third child and younger daughter of [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]], and [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel]].<ref name=bow/> The infant was baptised in the [[Chapel Royal]] of Kensington Palace on 27 July by [[Charles Thomas Longley]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].{{efn|Her three godparents were [[Queen Victoria]], [[Edward VII|the Prince of Wales]] (later King Edward VII and May's future father-in-law), and her maternal grandmother, [[Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge]].<ref>''[[The Times]] (London)'', Monday, 29 July 1867 p. 12 col. E</ref>}} From an early age, she was known to her family, friends and the public by the diminutive name of "May", after her birth month.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 24</ref>

May's upbringing was "merry but fairly strict".<ref name="times"/><ref name="pope66">Pope-Hennessy, p. 66</ref> She was the eldest of four children and the only daughter.  She "learned to exercise her native discretion, firmness, and tact" by resolving her three younger brothers' petty boyhood squabbles.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 45</ref> They played with their cousins, the children of the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]], who were similar in age.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 55</ref> She grew up at Kensington Palace and [[White Lodge]], in [[Richmond Park]], which was granted by Queen Victoria on permanent loan. She was educated at home by her mother and governess (as were her brothers until they were sent to boarding schools).<ref>Pope-Hennessy, pp. 68, 76, 123</ref> The Duchess of Teck spent an unusually long time with her children for a lady of her time and class,<ref name="pope66" /> and enlisted May in various charitable endeavours, which included visiting the tenements of the poor.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 68</ref>

Although May was a great-grandchild of George III, she was only a minor member of the [[British royal family]]. Her father, the Duke of Teck, had no inheritance or wealth and carried the lower royal style of [[Serene Highness]] because his parents' marriage was morganatic.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, pp. 36–37</ref> The Duchess of Teck was granted a [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary]] [[Annuity (financial contracts)|annuity]] of [[pound sterling|£]]5,000 and received about £4,000 a year from her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge,<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 114</ref> but she donated lavishly to dozens of charities.<ref name="times"/> Prince Francis was deeply in debt and moved his family abroad with a small staff in 1883, in order to economise.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 112</ref> They travelled throughout Europe, visiting their various relations. For a time they stayed in [[Florence]], Italy, where May enjoyed visiting the art galleries, churches and museums.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 133</ref> She was fluent in English, German, and French.<ref name="times"/>

In 1885, the family returned to London and lived for some time in [[Chester Square]].<ref name="times"/> May was close to her mother and acted as an unofficial secretary, helping to organise parties and social events. She was also close to her aunt [[Princess Augusta of Cambridge|Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], and wrote to her every week. During the [[First World War]], the [[Princess Margaret of Connaught|Crown Princess of Sweden]] helped pass letters from May to Augusta, who lived in enemy territory in [[German Empire|Germany]] until her death in 1916.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, pp. 503–505</ref>

==Engagements==
[[File:Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale; Queen Mary when Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, 1891.png|thumb|upright|Victoria Mary ("May") with [[Prince Albert Victor]], 1891]]

In 1886, May was a debutante in her first [[season (society)|season]] and was [[Queen Charlotte's Ball|introduced]] at court. Her status as the only unmarried British princess who was not descended from Queen Victoria made her a suitable candidate for the royal family's most eligible bachelor, [[Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale]],<ref name="times"/> her [[second cousin once removed]] and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.{{efn|May's maternal grandfather, [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]], was a brother of [[Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent]], who was the father of [[Queen Victoria]], Albert Victor's paternal grandmother.}}

On 3 December 1891 at [[Luton Hoo]], then the country residence of Danish Ambassador Christian Frederick de Falbe, Albert Victor proposed marriage to May and she accepted.<ref name="times"/> The choice of May as bride for the Duke owed much to Queen Victoria's fondness for her, as well as to her strong character and sense of duty. However, Albert Victor died six weeks later, in a recurrence of the worldwide [[1889–1890 pandemic]].<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 201</ref>

Albert Victor's brother, [[Prince George, Duke of York]], now second in line to the throne, evidently became close to May during their shared period of mourning, and Queen Victoria still thought of her as a suitable candidate to marry a future king.<ref>Edwards, p. 61</ref> The public was also anxious that the Duke of York should marry and settle the succession.<ref name="times"/> In May 1893, George proposed, and May accepted. They were soon deeply in love, and their marriage was a success. George wrote to May every day they were apart and, unlike his father, never took a mistress.<ref name="dnb">{{cite ODNB|last=Prochaska|first=Frank|title=Mary (1867–1953)|orig-year=September 2004|edition=online|date=January 2008|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/34914|access-date=1 May 2010|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34914|mode=cs2}}</ref>

==Duchess of York==
{{See also|Wedding of Prince George and Princess Victoria Mary|Wedding dress of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck}}
[[File:Victoria Mary of Teck.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Princess Victoria Mary shortly before her marriage to the Duke of York in 1893|alt=Young Mary in a tightly corseted dress]]
[[File:Princess Mary of Teck wedding dress 1893 no2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Wedding photo of Prince George, Duke of York, and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, 6 July 1893]]
Mary married Prince George, Duke of York, in London on 6 July 1893 at the [[Chapel Royal, St James's Palace]]. The couple lived in [[York Cottage]] on the [[Sandringham Estate]] in Norfolk, and in apartments in St James's Palace. York Cottage was a modest house for royalty, but it was a favourite of George, who liked a relatively simple life.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 291</ref> They had six children: [[Edward VIII|Edward]], [[George VI|Albert]], [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Mary]], [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Henry]], [[Prince George, Duke of Kent|George]], and [[Prince John of the United Kingdom|John]].

The children were put into the care of a nanny, as was usual in upper-class families at the time. The first nanny was dismissed for insolence and the second for abusing the children. This second woman, anxious to suggest that the children preferred her to anyone else, would pinch Edward and Albert whenever they were about to be presented to their parents so that they would start crying and be speedily returned to her. On discovery, she was replaced by her effective and much-loved assistant, [[Charlotte Bill]].<ref>Wheeler-Bennett, pp. 16–17</ref>

Sometimes, Mary and George appear to have been distant parents. At first, they failed to notice the nanny's abuse of their sons Edward and Albert,<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 393</ref> and their youngest son, John, was housed in a private farm on the Sandringham Estate, in Charlotte Bill's care, perhaps to hide his [[epilepsy]] from the public. Despite Mary's austere public image and her strait-laced private life, she was a caring mother and comforted her children when they suffered from her husband's strict discipline.<ref name="dnb"/>

Edward wrote fondly of his mother in his memoirs: "Her soft voice, her cultivated mind, the cosy room overflowing with personal treasures were all inseparable ingredients of the happiness associated with this last hour of a child's day&nbsp;... Such was my mother's pride in her children that everything that happened to each one was of the utmost importance to her. With the birth of each new child, Mama started an album in which she painstakingly recorded each progressive stage of our childhood".<ref>Windsor, pp. 24–25</ref> He expressed a less charitable view, however, in private letters to his wife after his mother's death: "My sadness was mixed with incredulity that any mother could have been so hard and cruel towards her eldest son for so many years and yet so demanding at the end without relenting a scrap. I'm afraid the fluids in her veins have always been as icy cold as they are now in death."<ref>Ziegler, p. 538</ref>

The Duke and Duchess of York carried out a variety of public duties. In 1897, Mary became the patron of the [[Queen Mother's Clothing Guild|London Needlework Guild]] in succession to her mother. The guild, initially established as The London Guild in 1882, was renamed several times and was named after Mary between 1914 and 2010.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.qmcg.org.uk/|title=Queen Mother's Clothing Guild official website|access-date=1 May 2010}}</ref> Samples of her own embroidery range from chair seats to tea cosies.<ref>e.g. {{citation|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/488288|author=Mary, Queen of England|title=Chair seat|date=1943|publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]}}; {{citation|url=http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/602811|title=Tea cosy|date=1909|author=Queen Mary|location=[[Springhill, County Londonderry]]|publisher=National Trust}}</ref>
[[File:Mary of Teck 4.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Duchess of Cornwall and York in Ottawa, 1901|alt=Thin Mary wearing a formal dress, a rope of pearls and a tiara]]

On 22 January 1901, [[Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria died]], and Mary's father-in-law ascended the throne as [[Edward VII]]. For most of the rest of that year, George and Mary were known as the "Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York". For eight months they toured the [[British Empire]], visiting [[Gibraltar]], [[Crown Colony of Malta|Malta]], Egypt, [[British Ceylon|Ceylon]], [[Straits Settlements|Singapore]], Australia, New Zealand, [[British Mauritius|Mauritius]], [[Cape Colony|South Africa]] and Canada. No royal had undertaken such an ambitious tour before. She broke down in tears at the thought of leaving her children, who were to be left in the care of their grandparents, for such a long time.<ref>Edwards, p. 115</ref>

==Princess of Wales==
On 9 November 1901, nine days after arriving back in Britain and on the King's 60th birthday, George was created [[Prince of Wales]]. The family moved their London residence from St James's Palace to [[Marlborough House]]. As Princess of Wales, Mary accompanied her husband on trips to [[Austria-Hungary]] and [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Württemberg]] in 1904. The following year, she gave birth to her last child, John. It was a difficult labour, and although she recovered quickly, her newborn son developed respiratory problems.<ref>Edwards, pp. 142–143</ref>

From October 1905 the Prince and Princess of Wales undertook another eight-month tour, this time of India, and the children were once again left in the care of their grandparents.<ref>Edwards, p. 146</ref> They passed through Egypt both ways and on the way back stopped in Greece. The tour was almost immediately followed by a trip to Spain for the [[Wedding of King Alfonso XIII and Princess Victoria Eugenie|wedding]] of [[King Alfonso XIII]] to [[Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg]], at which the bride and groom narrowly avoided assassination.{{efn|The driver of their coach and over a dozen spectators were killed by a bomb thrown by an anarchist, [[Mateo Morral]].}} Only a week after returning to Britain, Mary and George went to Norway for the coronation of George's brother-in-law and sister, [[King Haakon VII]] and [[Maud of Wales|Queen Maud]].<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 407</ref>

==Queen and empress consort==
[[File:Queen Mary by William Llewellyn.jpg|upright|thumb|Portrait by&nbsp;[[William Llewellyn (painter)|William Llewellyn]], {{Circa|1911}}]]
On 6 May 1910, [[Death and state funeral of Edward VII|Edward VII died]]. Mary's husband ascended the throne and she became [[queen consort]]. When her husband asked her to drop one of her two official names, Victoria Mary, she chose to be called Mary, preferring not to be known by the same style as her husband's grandmother, Queen Victoria.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 421</ref> She was the first British queen consort born in Britain since [[Catherine Parr]] assumed the title in July 1543.<ref name="times">{{citation |title=Queen Mary: A Lifetime of Gracious Service |work=[[The Times]] |page= 5|date=25 March 1953}}</ref> Mary was [[Crown of Mary of Teck#Queen Mary|crowned]] alongside her husband at a [[Coronation of George V and Mary|coronation on 22 June 1911]] in [[Westminster Abbey]]. Later in the year, the King and Queen travelled to India for the [[Delhi Durbar]] held on 12 December 1911, and toured the sub-continent as Emperor and Empress of India, returning to Britain in February.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, pp. 452–463</ref>

The beginning of Mary's period as consort brought her into conflict with her mother-in-law, [[Queen Alexandra]]. Although the two were on friendly terms, Alexandra could be stubborn; she demanded precedence over Mary at the funeral of Edward VII, was slow in leaving [[Buckingham Palace]], and kept some of the royal jewels that should have been passed to the new queen.<ref>Edwards, pp. 182–193</ref>

During the First World War, Queen Mary instituted an austerity drive at the palace, where she rationed food, and visited wounded and dying servicemen in hospital, which caused her great emotional strain.<ref>Edwards, pp. 244–245</ref> After three years of war against Germany, and with anti-German feeling in Britain running high, the [[Russian imperial family]], which had been deposed by a revolutionary government, was refused asylum.<ref>Edwards, p. 258</ref> News of the [[Nicholas II|Tsar]]'s abdication provided a boost to those in Britain who wished to replace their own monarchy with a republic.<ref>Edwards, p. 262</ref> The war ended in 1918 with the defeat of Germany and the [[Abdication of Wilhelm II|abdication]] and exile of the [[Wilhelm II|Kaiser]], her husband's cousin.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McLean |first1=Roderick R. |title=Royalty and Diplomacy in Europe, 1890–1914 |date=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9780521038195 |page=133}}</ref>

[[File:Queen Mary and Princess Mary.jpg|thumb|upright|The Queen with her daughter [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Mary]] during the First World War]]
Two months after the end of the war, Prince John died at the age of thirteen. Queen Mary described her shock and sorrow in her diary and letters, extracts of which were published after her death: "our poor darling little Johnnie had passed away suddenly&nbsp;... The first break in the family circle is hard to bear but people have been so kind & sympathetic & this has helped us [the King and me] much."<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 511</ref>

The Queen's staunch support of her husband continued during the later half of his reign. She advised him on speeches and used her extensive knowledge of history and royalty to advise him on matters affecting his position. He appreciated her discretion, intelligence, and judgement.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 549</ref> She maintained an air of self-assured calm throughout all her public engagements in the years after the war, a period marked by civil unrest over social conditions, [[Irish War of Independence|Irish independence]], and [[Indian nationalism]].<ref>Edwards, p. 311</ref>

In the late 1920s, George became increasingly ill with lung problems, exacerbated by his heavy smoking. Mary paid particular attention to his care. During his illness in 1928, one of his doctors, Sir [[Farquhar Buzzard]], was asked who had saved the King's life. He replied, "The Queen".<ref>Gore, p. 243</ref> In 1935, George and Mary celebrated [[Silver Jubilee of George V|their silver jubilee]], with celebrations taking place throughout the British Empire. In his jubilee speech, George paid public tribute to his wife, having told his speechwriter, "Put that paragraph at the very end. I cannot trust myself to speak of the Queen when I think of all I owe her."<ref>''The Times (London)'', Wednesday, 25 March 1953 p. 5</ref>

==Queen mother==
[[George V died]] on 20 January 1936, after his physician, [[Lord Dawson of Penn]], gave him an injection of [[morphine]] and [[cocaine]] that may have hastened his death.<ref>{{Citation |last=Watson |first=Francis |title=The Death of George V |journal=History Today |volume=36 |pages=21–30 |year=1986 |pmid=11645856}}</ref> Mary's eldest son ascended the throne as Edward VIII. She was then to be known as ''Her Majesty Queen Mary''.

Within the year, Edward's intention to marry his twice-divorced American mistress, [[Wallis Simpson]], led to his abdication. Mary disapproved of divorce as it was contrary to the teaching of the [[Anglican Church]], and thought Simpson wholly unsuitable to be the wife of a king. After receiving advice from British prime minister [[Stanley Baldwin]], as well as the [[Dominion]] governments, that he could not remain king and marry Simpson, [[Abdication of Edward VIII|Edward abdicated]].

Though loyal and supportive of her son, Mary could not comprehend why Edward would neglect his royal duties in favour of his personal feelings.<ref>Airlie, p. 200</ref> Simpson had been presented formally to both King George V and Queen Mary at court,<ref>Windsor, p. 255</ref> but Mary later refused to meet her either in public or privately.<ref>Windsor, p. 334</ref> She saw it as her duty to provide moral support for her second son, the reserved [[Prince Albert, Duke of York]]. Albert ascended the throne on Edward's abdication, taking the name George VI. When Mary attended the [[coronation of George VI]], she became the first British [[dowager queen]] to do so.{{efn|According to custom, crowned heads did not attend coronations of other kings and queens.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 584</ref>}} Edward's abdication did not lessen her love for him, but she never wavered in her disapproval of his actions.<ref name="dnb" /><ref>Edwards, p. 401 and Pope-Hennessy, p. 575</ref>

[[File:Queen Mary with Princess Elizabeth and Margaret.jpg|thumb|upright|Queen Mary with her granddaughters, Princesses [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Margaret]] (front) and [[Elizabeth II|Elizabeth]], May 1939|alt=Elderly Mary and the two girls in formal dress]]

After her reign, Mary returned to live in her main London residence [[Marlborough House]], where she had also lived as Princess of Wales. Mary took an interest in the upbringing of her granddaughters [[Elizabeth II|Elizabeth]] and [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Margaret]]. She took them on various excursions in London, to art galleries and museums. (The princesses' own parents thought it unnecessary for them to be burdened with a demanding educational regime.)<ref>Edwards, p. 349</ref> In May 1939, Mary was in a car crash: her car was overturned but she escaped with minor injuries and bruises.<ref>{{Citation |date=25 May 1939 |title=Find Queen Mary Has No Broken Bones; But Physicians Reveal Painful Injury to Her Eye |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/05/25/archives/find-queen-mary-has-no-broken-bones-but-physicians-reveal-painful.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=23 July 2021}}</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], George VI wished his mother to be evacuated from London. Although she was reluctant, she decided to live at [[Badminton House]], Gloucestershire, with her niece [[Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (sportswoman)|Mary, Duchess of Beaufort]], the daughter of her brother [[Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge|Adolphus]].<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 596</ref> Her personal belongings were transported from London in seventy pieces of luggage. Her household, which comprised fifty-five servants, occupied most of the house, except for [[Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort|the Duke]] and Duchess's private suites, until after the war. The only people to complain about the arrangements were the royal servants, who found the house too small.<ref>{{Citation |title=Burke's Peerage & Gentry, 107th edition |pages=vol. I p. 308 |year=2003 |editor-last=Mosley |editor-first=Charles |no-pp=true |chapter=Duke of Beaufort, 'Seat' section}}</ref>

From Badminton, in support of the war effort, Queen Mary visited troops and factories and directed the gathering of scrap materials. She was known to offer lifts to soldiers she spotted on the roads.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 600</ref> In 1942, her son [[Prince George, Duke of Kent|George]], Duke of Kent, was [[Dunbeath air crash|killed in an air crash]] while on active service. Mary finally returned to Marlborough House in June 1945, after the war in Europe had resulted in the defeat of [[Nazi Germany]].

Mary was an eager collector of objects and pictures with a royal connection.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 412</ref> She paid above-market estimates when purchasing jewels from the estate of [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Dowager Empress Marie of Russia]]<ref>{{Citation |last=Clarke |first=William |title=The Lost Fortune of the Tsars |year=1995}}</ref> and paid almost three times the estimate when buying the family's Cambridge Emeralds from Lady Kilmorey,<ref name="Guardian-Wills">{{citation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/mar/27/monarchy.topstories3|title=Secret wills of the royals - a tale of mistresses, jewels and cover-ups|work=The Guardian|first=David|last=Leigh|date=26 March 2007|accessdate=7 April 2023}}</ref> the mistress of her late brother [[Prince Francis of Teck|Prince Francis]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Thomson, Mark |title=Document – A Right Royal Affair |date=29 August 2005 |publisher=BBC Radio 4}}<br />See also [http://www.proni.gov.uk/introduction_kilmorey_d2638-2.pdf Kilmorey Papers (D/2638)] (pdf), [[Public Record Office of Northern Ireland]].</ref> After Francis's death, Mary had intervened to ensure his will was sealed by a court to cover his affair with Kilmorey. This set a precedent for royal wills to be sealed.<ref name="Guardian-Wills"/> In 1924, the famous architect [[Sir Edwin Lutyens]] created [[Queen Mary's Dolls' House]] for her collection of miniature pieces.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, pp. 531–534</ref> She has sometimes been criticised for her aggressive acquisition of ''[[objets d'art]]'' for the [[Royal Collection]]. On several occasions, she would express to hosts, or others, that she admired something they had in their possession, in the expectation that the owner would be willing to donate it.<ref>Rose, p. 284</ref>

Mary's extensive knowledge of, and research into, the Royal Collection helped in identifying artefacts and artwork that had gone astray over the years.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 414</ref> The royal family had lent out many pieces over previous generations. Once she had identified unreturned items through old inventories, she would write to the holders, requesting that they be returned.<ref>Windsor, p. 238</ref> In addition to being an avid collector, Mary also commissioned many gifts of jewellery, including rings which she presented to her ladies-in-waiting on the occasion of their engagements.<ref>{{Citation |title=S. J. Rood – a brief history |url=http://www.sjrood.weebly.com |work=S. J. Rood – Jewellers |access-date=4 December 2018}}</ref>

== Final year and death ==
{{main|Death and funeral of Mary of Teck}}
{{multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| image1    = Queen Mary's Coffin1.JPG
| alt1      =
| caption1  = Queen Mary's funeral carriage. Her coffin was draped in her personal [[Royal Standard of the United Kingdom#Consorts of the British monarch|banner of arms]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_4325000/4325305.stm "Queen Mary laid to rest in Windsor"], BBC On This Day: 31 March 1953; retrieved 19 October 2010.</ref>
| image2    = Royal Standard of Mary of Teck, Queen Consort.svg
}}
In 1952, [[George VI died]], the third of Mary's children to predecease her; her eldest granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. The death of a third child profoundly affected her. Mary remarked to [[Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein|Princess Marie Louise]]: "I have lost three sons through death, but I have never been privileged to be there to say a last farewell to them."<ref>Marie Louise, p. 238</ref>

On the accession of Elizabeth II, there was some dispute regarding the dynasty to which descendants of Elizabeth and her husband [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Phillip]] would belong. Mary expressed to Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] her aversion to the idea of the [[House of Mountbatten]] succeeding the [[House of Windsor]] as the royal dynasty.<ref>{{citation|last1=Bousfield|first1=Arthur|last2=Toffoli|first2=Garry|title=Fifty Years the Queen|publisher=Dundurn Press|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|year=2002|page=101|isbn=1-55002-360-8}}</ref>

Mary died in her sleep at Marlborough House at 10.20 pm on 24 March 1953, aged 85, ten weeks before [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|her granddaughter's coronation]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/24/newsid_2785000/2785265.stm|title=1953: Queen Mary dies peacefully after illness|website=BBC News|date=24 March 1953 |access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref> She had let it be known that should she die, the coronation should not be postponed.<ref>Pope-Hennessy, p. 621</ref> Her remains [[lay in state]] at [[Westminster Hall]], where large numbers of mourners filed past her coffin. She is buried beside her husband in the nave of [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]].<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/royal-connection/royal-burials/royal-burials-chapel-location/|title=Royal Burials in the Chapel by location|publisher=St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle|access-date=1 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122103842/http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/about-st-georges/royal-connection/burial/burials-in-the-chapel-by-location.html|archive-date=22 January 2010}}</ref>

Mary's will was sealed in London after her death. Her estate was valued at £406,407 (or £{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK-GDP|406407|1953|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK-GDP}} when adjusted for inflation).{{Inflation-fn|UK-GDP}}<ref>{{citation |last1=Evans |first1=Rob |last2=Pegg |first2=David |title=£187m of Windsor family wealth hidden in secret royal wills |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/18/187m-pounds-of-windsor-family-wealth-hidden-in-secret-royal-wills |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 July 2022 |language=en |date=18 July 2022}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Actresses who have portrayed Queen Mary include [[Dame Flora Robson]] (in ''A King's Story'', 1965), [[Dame Wendy Hiller]] (on the London stage in ''[[Crown Matrimonial (play)|Crown Matrimonial]]'', 1972),<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/may/16/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries|title=Dame Wendy Hiller|work=The Guardian|date=16 May 2003|access-date=1 May 2010}}</ref> [[Greer Garson]] (in the television production of ''Crown Matrimonial'', 1974), [[Judy Loe]] (in ''[[Edward the Seventh]]'', 1975), [[Dame Peggy Ashcroft]] (in ''[[Edward & Mrs. Simpson]]'', 1978), [[Phyllis Calvert]] (in ''[[The Woman He Loved]]'', 1988), Gaye Brown (in ''[[All the King's Men (1999 film)|All the King's Men]]'', 1999), [[Miranda Richardson]] (in ''[[The Lost Prince]]'', 2003), [[Margaret Tyzack]] (in ''[[Wallis & Edward]]'', 2005), [[Claire Bloom]] (in ''[[The King's Speech]]'', 2010), [[Judy Parfitt]] (in ''[[W.E.]]'', 2011), Valerie Dane (in the television version of ''[[Downton Abbey]]'', 2013), [[Dame Eileen Atkins]] (in ''[[Bertie and Elizabeth]]'', 2002 and ''[[The Crown (season 1)|The Crown]]'', 2016), [[Geraldine James]] (in the film version of ''[[Downton Abbey (film)|Downton Abbey]]'', 2019), and Candida Benson (in [[The Crown (season 5)|''The Crown'']], 2022).

Many places and buildings have been named in Mary's honour, including [[Queen Mary University of London]],<ref>{{citation|first=G. P.|last=Moss|author2=Saville, M. V.|title=From Palace to College – An illustrated account of Queen Mary College |publisher=University of London|year=1985|pages=57–62|isbn=0-902238-06-X}}</ref> [[Queen Mary Reservoir]] in Surrey,<ref>{{citation|title=History of the Queen Mary Reservoir – Sunbury Matters |url=http://www.villagematters.co.uk/sunbury-matters/sunbury-matters-articles/2014/02/history-of-the-queen-mary-reservoir|website=Village Matters|date=February 2014 |access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref> and [[Queen Mary College, Lahore|Queen Mary College]] in [[Lahore]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.qmc.edu.pk/introduction.html|title=Introduction|publisher=Queen Mary College, Lahore|access-date=29 October 2014|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405014516/https://www.qmc.edu.pk/introduction.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Sir [[Henry "Chips" Channon]] wrote that Queen Mary was "above politics&nbsp;... magnificent, humorous, worldly, in fact nearly sublime, though cold and hard. But what a grand Queen."<ref>{{citation|last=Channon|first=Sir Henry|author-link=Henry Channon|others=Edited by [[Robert Rhodes James]]|title=Chips: The Diaries of Sir Henry Channon|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson|location=London|year=1967|page=473}}</ref>

==Titles, honours and arms==
{{main|List of titles and honours of Mary of Teck}}

Queen Mary's arms were the [[royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom]] [[Impalement (heraldry)|impaled]] with her family arms – the arms of her grandfather Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, in the 1st and 4th quarters, and the arms of her father, Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.<ref>{{citation|last=Maclagan|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Maclagan|author2=Louda, Jiří|title=Line of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe|year=1999|publisher=Little, Brown & Co|location=London|isbn=1-85605-469-1|pages=30–31}}</ref><ref name="pinches">{{citation|last=Pinches|first=John Harvey|author-link=John Pinches|author2=Pinches, Rosemary|title=The Royal Heraldry of England |series=Heraldry Today|year=1974|publisher=Hollen Street Press|location=Slough, Buckinghamshire|isbn=0-900455-25-X|page=267}}</ref> The shield is surmounted by the imperial crown, and supported by the crowned lion of England and "a stag Proper" as in the [[arms of Württemberg]].<ref name="pinches"/>
{{Gallery|noborder=yes|width=220|height=200|mode=nolines|align=center
|File:Coat of Arms of Mary of Teck as Duchess of York.svg|Coat of arms of Mary, Duchess of York
|File:Coat of Arms of Mary of Teck as Princess of Wales.svg|Coat of arms of Mary, Princess of Wales
|File:Coat of Arms of Mary of Teck.svg|Coat of arms of Queen Mary
|File:Royal Cypher of Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom (variant).svg|[[Royal cypher]] of Queen Mary
}}

==Issue==
{{Excerpt|George V|Issue}}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes|align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Princess Mary of Teck'''
|2= 2. [[Francis, Duke of Teck]]
|3= 3. [[Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge]]<!--ref name=bow/-->
|4= 4. [[Duke Alexander of Württemberg (1804–1885)|Duke Alexander of Württemberg]]<!--ref name=bow/-->
|5= 5. [[Countess Claudine Rhédey de Kis-Rhéde]]<ref name=bow>{{citation|title=The Ancestry of the Princess May|journal=Bow Bells: A Magazine of General Literature and Art for Family Reading|location=London|volume=23|issue=288|date=7 July 1893|page=31}}</ref>
|6= 6. [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]]<!--ref name=bow/-->
|7= 7. [[Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel]]
|8= 8. [[Duke Louis of Württemberg]]<ref name=bow/>
|9= 9. [[Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg]]<!--ref name=bow/-->
|10= 10. Count László Rhédey de Kis-Rhéde
|11= 11. Baroness Ágnes Inczédy de Nagy-Várad
|12= 12. [[George III of the United Kingdom]]<!--ref name=bow/-->
|13= 13. [[Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|14= 14. [[Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel]]
|15= 15. [[Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen]]
}}

==See also==
* [[Crown of Queen Camilla|Crown of Queen Mary]]
* [[Household of George V and Mary]]
* [[List of covers of Time magazine (1920s)]], [[List of covers of Time magazine (1930s)|(1930s)]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{citation|first=Mabell|last=Airlie|author-link=Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie|title=Thatched with Gold|publisher=Hutchinson|location=London|year=1962}}
* {{citation|first=Anne|last=Edwards|author-link=Anne Edwards|title=Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|year=1984|isbn=0-340-24465-8}}
* {{citation|last=Gore|first=John|title=King George V: A Personal Memoir|publisher=John Murray|location=London|year=1941}}
* {{citation|last=Marie Louise|first=Princess|author-link=Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein|title=My Memories of Six Reigns|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1959}}
* {{citation|last=Pope-Hennessy|first=James|author-link=James Pope-Hennessy|title=Queen Mary|publisher=George Allen and Unwin Ltd.|location=London|year=1959}}
* {{cite ODNB|last=Prochaska|first=Frank|title=Mary (1867–1953)|orig-year=September 2004|edition=online|date=January 2008|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/34914|access-date=1 May 2010|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34914|mode=cs2}}
* {{citation|author-link=Kenneth Rose|last=Rose|first=Kenneth|title=King George V|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson|location=London|year=1983|isbn=0-297-78245-2}}
* {{citation|author-link=John Wheeler-Bennett|last=Wheeler-Bennett|first=Sir John|title=King George VI|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|year=1958}}
* {{citation|first=HRH The Duke of|last=Windsor|author-link=Edward VIII|title=A King's Story|publisher=Cassell and Co|location=London|year=1951}}
* {{citation|author-link=Philip Ziegler|last=Ziegler|first=Philip|title=King Edward VIII|publisher=Collins|location=London|year=1990|isbn=0-00-215741-1}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Queen Mary of the United Kingdom}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.rct.uk/collection/people/queen-mary-of-the-united-kingdom-1867-1953#/type/subject Queen Mary] at the official website of the [[Royal Collection Trust]]
* {{NPG name|name=Queen Mary}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/019474}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Teck]]||26 May 1867||24 March 1953}}
{{S-royal}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Alexandra of Denmark]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Queen consort of the United Kingdom]]<br />and the [[British Dominions]];<br />[[Empress consort of India]]|years=1910–1936}}
{{S-vac|next=[[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]]}}
|-
{{S-hon}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Edward VIII|The Prince of Wales]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire]]|years=1936–1953}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|The Duke of Edinburgh]]}}
{{s-end}}

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