The Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales ride in a carriage to St. Paul’s Cathedral ahead of a service of thanksgiving for her 80th birthday on July 15, 1980 (Zuma Press/Alamy)
Yesterday marked the 125th anniversary of the birth of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, best known to us as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Today, we’ve got a look back at the way the royal family celebrated another of the Queen Mum’s milestone birthdays back in 1980, including an elegant service at St. Paul’s and a glamorous night at the ballet.
Born on August 4, 1900, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon became part of the royal family when she married the Duke of York in 1923. After the abdication crisis of 1936, the Duke and Duchess unexpectedly became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. For the next fifteen years, they sat on the throne, and after his death in 1952, their daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, succeeded him. To avoid confusion with her daughter, the elder Elizabeth became known as the Queen Mother, holding the title for the next five decades.
When Elizabeth turned 80 in the summer of 1980, the royal family and the nation celebrated her longevity with a series of events. One of the most prominent was a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 15. The Queen Mother arrived in the 1902 State Landau with the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) by her side. Inside the cathedral, the rest of the extended royal family listened as the Dean said, “We give thanks today for Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, for her long service to the peoples of this country and of the Commonwealth, for her warmth, resilience, courage, and love shown in time of peace and war.”
The Queen Mother rides in a carriage to St. Paul’s Cathedral ahead of a service of thanksgiving for her 80th birthday on July 15, 1980 (Zuma Press/Alamy)
The Queen Mother wore one of her signature frothy confections for the service, including a feathered hat. She accessorized with some serious jewels for a daytime occasion: a three-row pearl necklace, paired with the diamond drop earrings she inherited from Dame Margaret Greville and a sapphire and diamond brooch, which she received as a wedding present from Queen Mary in 1923.
Members of the British royal family wait on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral after a service of thanksgiving for the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday on July 15, 1980 (PA Images/Alamy)
Virtually all of the rest of the royal family was also present for the service. Queen Elizabeth II was there with Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward by her side. Princess Anne was there with her then-husband, Captain Mark Phillips (but not their two-year-old, Peter). Princess Margaret attended with her children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones.
The Queen Mother’s sister-in-law, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, was there with the present Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and their son, the Earl of Ulster. And the Kent contingent was there, too. The Duke and Duchess of Kent attended with their three children, the Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Helen Windsor, and Lord Nicholas Windsor, while Princess Alexandra was accompanied by Angus Oglivy and their children, James and Marina. Edward and Alexandra’s younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, was there with his wife, Marie-Christine.
The Queen Mother poses for a portrait in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace with her children and grandchildren to mark her upcoming 80th birthday on July 15, 1980 (PA Images/Alamy)
After the service, the family returned to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen Mother waved to crowds on the Mall from the palace balcony. Family portraits were also taken to commemorate the occasion. This picture features the Queen Mother with her daughters and son-in-law, as well as her grandchildren and grandson-in-law.
You get a glimpse here of a few more royal jewels, too. Princess Margaret is wearing a modern gold and aquamarine brooch made by John Donald, while Queen Elizabeth II wears her Silver Jubilee Pearl Drop Earrings with more pearls and the Dorset Bow Brooch. On the end of the row, Princess Anne has pinned Mark Phillips’s regimental brooch, set with diamonds and rubies, to her green coat. The brooch was a wedding present from Mark in 1973.
The Queen Mother, with Queen Elizabeth II, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, and Viscount Linley, greets well-wishers on her 80th birthday outside Clarence House in London on August 4, 1980 (Anwar Hussein/Alamy)
A few weeks later, on her actual 80th birthday, the Queen Mother wore her sapphire and diamond wedding gift brooch again as she greeted well-wishers outside her home, Clarence House, in London. She was accompanied by her daughters, Queen Elizabeth II (in pearls and the Cullinan V Brooch) and Princess Margaret (also in pearls), as well as Prince Charles, Prince Edward, Lord Linley, and Lady Sarah.
The Queen Mother attends a special ballet performance given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in honor of her 80th birthday on August 4, 1980 (Keystone Press/Alamy)
That evening, the royal family headed to Covent Garden for a special ballet performance presented at the Royal Opera House especially for the Queen Mum’s birthday. The performance by the Royal Ballet included the world premiere of “Rhapsody,” choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton and danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier.
Accompanying the Queen Mother to the ballet were the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh; the Prince of Wales, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward; Princess Margaret; and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.
The Queen Mother, with Princess Margaret, attends a special ballet performance given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in honor of her 80th birthday on August 4, 1980 (PA Images/Alamy)
The Queen Mother wore an elegant evening gown embroidered with sparkling leaf designs for the gala performance, paired with diamond and ruby jewels, including Queen Victoria’s Indian Circlet. Behind her, Princess Margaret wears the dazzling Teck Hoop Necklace with diamond earrings from her collection. Queen Elizabeth II wore the Gloucester Pendant Earrings with Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace.
The Queen Mother attends a special ballet performance given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in honor of her 80th birthday on August 4, 1980 (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)
Here’s a closer look at the Queen Mum’s jewels from the ballet. With the Victorian tiara, she wore the Crown Ruby Necklace and Earrings, which were also acquired by Prince Albert by Queen Victoria. (The entire set was originally set with opals, but Queen Alexandra swapped them for rubies.) On her shoulder, the Queen Mother also pinned one of her diamond and ruby floral clip brooches. We recently discussed the pair of brooches, which she commissioned herself from Cartier in the 1940s. The brooches are currently on display as part of the Cartier exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.