“Queen Mum”, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon.

So here we have the Saint Helenian pence, nominal - 50. The year of issue of this coin is 1995, mint: British Pobjoy Mint, Tadworth, England. The coin commemorates the 95th anniversary of the Queen Mother’s birth.

The Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the youngest daughter of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the Bowes-Lyon family could claim descent from Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland. On April 26, 1923, Elizabeth was married to Albert, duke of York, second son of King George V. This marriage was a popular departure from the long-standing practice of an English prince marrying into a foreign royal family.

Elizabeth’s unflagging support, however, helped transform him into a confident and much respected monarch, it was at her urgings that he sought treatment for stuttering. As queen consort, Elizabeth also enjoyed great popularity, enhanced in part by her actions during World War II, when she refused to leave London during German air raids, even after Buckingham Palace was bombed.

After her husband’s death on February 6, 1952, and the accession of Elizabeth II, her daughter, she became known officially as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She remained, however, an influential figure and made numerous appearances in England and around the world. Her public duties continued until shortly before her death. Noted for her humour and easygoing nature, the “Queen Mum,” as she became affectionately known, was one of the most popular and admired members of the royal family.