Born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the youngest daughter of the 14th Earl of Strathmore, the Queen Mother was descended from Robert II of Scotland. She was born in England but spent part of every year at Glamis Castle in Angus during her childhood. In 1923 she married the Duke of York, who became George VI unexpectedly after his brother's abdication in 1936. The Queen Mother always enjoyed the affection of the British public and had a gift of manifesting genuine interest. This sensitive and dignified portrait was the first commissioned by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to record important living Scots.