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Mary of Teck ( 26 May , 1867 – 24 March , 1953 ), later '''Queen Mary''', was the Queen Consort of George V Of The United Kingdom . Queen Mary was also the Empress Of India and Queen Of Ireland . Before her accession, she was also Princess Of Wales , Duchess Of Cornwall and Duchess Of York . In her own right she held the title of a Princess of Teck in the Kingdom of Württemberg with the style '' Her Serene Highness ''. To her family, she was known as '''''May'''''. During her time, Queen Mary was known for setting the tone of the British Royal Family , as the model of regal formality and propriety, especially during State occasions. She was the first Queen Consort to attend the coronation of her successors. Known for superbly bejewelling herself for formal events, Queen Mary left a collection of jewels now considered priceless. EARLY LIFE Princess Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck was born on 26 May , 1867 , at Kensington Palace , London . Her father was Prince Francis, Duke Of Teck , the son of Duke Alexander Of Württemberg by his Morganatic wife, Countess Claudine Rhédey de Kis-Rhéde (created Countess von Hohenstein in the Austrian Empire ). Through the House of Württemberg, May was distantly descended from the Habsburgs , the once powerful ruling family of Austrian Empire (Cite Almanach De Gotha ). Her mother was Princess Mary Adelaide Of Cambridge , the third child and the younger daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke Of Cambridge . She was baptised in the Chapel Royal of Kensington Palace on 27 July 1867 by Charles Thomas Longley , Archbishop Of Canterbury and her godparents were Queen Victoria , the Prince Of Wales , the Grand Duchess Of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the Duchess Of Cambridge . Although her mother was a grandchild of King George III Of The United Kingdom , Princess May was only a minor member of the British Royal Family . Her father, the Duke of Teck, was the product of Morganatic Marriage , had no inheritance or wealth, and carried the lower royal style of ''Serene Highness''. The Duchess of Teck was however granted a Parliament ary Annuity of £ 4000 plus £4000 from her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge. Despite this, the family was deep in debt and had to flee abroad to avoid their Creditor s in 1883. The Tecks travelled throughout Europe, visiting their various relatives and staying in Florence , Italy , for a time. There Princess May enjoyed visiting the Art Galleries , Church es and Museum s. In 1885, the Tecks returned to London and were given use of White Lodge in Richmond Park as a residence. Princess May was close to her mother and acted as an unofficial secretary, helping to organise parties and social events. May was also close to her aunt, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (née Princess Augusta Of Cambridge ). May wrote to her aunt every week without fail. During World War I , the Swiss Embassy helped pass letters from May to her aunt, who lived in Germany . ENGAGEMENT In 1891, Princess Mary was engaged to Prince Albert Victor, Duke Of Clarence , the eldest son of Prince Albert Edward, Prince Of Wales . Princess Mary was chosen as a bride for Albert Victor, due mainly to Queen Victoria 's fondness of her, as well as her strong character and sense of duty. Albert Victor was Princess Mary's Second Cousin Once Removed ; Mary was the daughter of Princess Mary Adelaide Of Cambridge , whose father, Prince Adolphus, Duke Of Cambridge , was a brother of Prince Edward Augustus, Duke Of Kent , the father of Queen Victoria , who was Albert Victor's grandmother. However, Prince Albert Victor died, perhaps of Pneumonia , six weeks later. Despite this setback, Queen Victoria still favoured Princess Mary as a suitable candidate to marry a future King, so she persuaded Albert Victor's brother, Prince George, Duke Of York , to propose to Mary. George duly proposed and Mary accepted. Despite its being an arranged marriage, Mary and George soon were deeply in love. George never took a mistress (unusual at the time) and wrote to Mary every day. Their marriage took place on 6 July , 1893 , at the Chapel Royal , St. James's Palace , in London . The couple had six children in total, listed below. DUCHESS OF YORK .]] After her marriage, Princess Mary was now styled ''Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York''. The Duke and Duchess of York lived in York Cottage, a small house on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk . They also had apartments in St. James's Palace , London . York Cottage was a modest house for royalty, but was a favourite of George, who liked a simple life. The Duchess of York was not considered to be emotionally attached to her children. The royal nanny looking after Princes Edward and Albert was found to be abusing the children. The nanny would pinch Edward before he was to be presented to the Duke and Duchess, causing them to dismiss him. Albert was generally ignored, and he turned into a shy, stammering man as a result. As Duke and Duchess of York, George and Mary carried out a variety of public duties. In 1900, they toured the British Empire . Visiting Australia, the Duke and Duchess opened the first session of the Australian Parliament, when the Commonwealth Of Australia was created. PRINCESS OF WALES On 22 January , 1901 , Queen Victoria died, and the Duchess of York's father-in-law, Albert Edward, ascended the throne as King Edward VII . For the rest of that year, May was styled Duchess of Cornwall and York until 9 November , 1901 , when George was created Prince Of Wales , and she was then styled Princess Of Wales . King Edward VII wished his son to be more prepared for the role of King, given Queen Victoria's exclusion of Edward from state affairs. However, the Prince of Wales was not of the highest intellect, and May was required to help him read and understand the state papers sent by the King. QUEEN MARY .]] On 6 May , 1910 , King Edward VII died, and the Prince and Princess of Wales ascended the throne. May chose the regal name of Mary for her reign. George and Mary's coronation at Westminster Abbey took place on 22 June , 1911 . They later travelled to India for the Delhi Durbar on 11 December , 1911 . The King and Queen toured the country visiting their new subjects as their Emperor and Empress. The beginning of Mary's reign as Queen Consort saw her come into conflict with the new dowager Queen Alexandra . Although the two queens were friendly and close, Alexandra was stubborn in many ways. 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. Queen Mary's staunch support of her husband become stronger during his reign. She advised him on speeches, and used her extensive knowledge of history and royalty to advise him on matters of state.
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