To the timid, stuttering prince who began pursuing her in 1920, she was Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the charming daughter of an earl.

To her British subjects, she reigned as queen for 16 years with King George VI. Once her daughter assumed the throne in 1952, she became the ever-popular Queen Mum, an endearing figure in feathered hats, triple strands of pearls and gloves.

The writer who had unfettered access to her letters is William Shawcross, author of "Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother," an authorized 1,096-page biography published this year by Knopf. He speaks Monday at 11 a.m. at the 20th Century Club in Oakland.

For two years, Mr. Shawcross rode the train from London's Paddington Station to Windsor Castle, then climbed 90 stone steps to the top of its round, medieval towers, where there are two Victorian libraries, one with temperature-controlled archives. There, he read box after box of the Queen Mum's letters.

"My subject had the most wonderful letter writing habit from the age of 10 to the age of 100. She wrote with a beautiful, clear hand and a marvelously expressive, clear and joyous voice," said Mr. Shawcross during a telephone interview from London.

The royal archives reveal a compassionate woman who nurtured lifelong friendships while surviving two world wars, a king's abdication, plus breast and bowel cancer. Near the end of her 101 years, she walked with two canes, but her support among the British people remained as warm as a freshly baked scone. Her death in March 2002 prompted a quarter of a million people to pay their respects as she lay in state in Westminster Hall.

Inevitably, her life was shaped by World War I, which began on her 14th birthday. Her family's castle became a convalescent home for wounded soldiers; Lady Elizabeth made tea for the men and played cards with them.

"They all adored her," Mr. Shawcross said, adding that the experience "enabled her to relate to people in a kind and effective way" and helped prepare her for being a member of the royal family.

One soldier, Corporal Ernest Pearce, suffered a shattered shoulder at the Battle of Ypres in 1915. He thought Lady Elizabeth had beautiful eyes and marveled at the womanly compassion she demonstrated at age 15. After the war, he lost his job in the shipyards and wrote to her. She gave him a job as a gardener at her home in Windsor.

"She remained loyal all her life to people. Friendships were forever," the author said.

During her young, carefree life in London, Lady Elizabeth had many admirers. Prince Albert noticed her in the summer of 1920 and said he wanted to meet her.

"He pursued her doggedly for the next two-and-a-half years," Mr. Shawcross said. On a weekend in January of 1923, he arrived at her family's home in Scotland, Glamis Castle, and proposed continuously. On Sunday night, she said yes.

In a letter to Arthur Penn, who later became her private secretary and treasurer, Lady Elizabeth wrote of her decision, "No one is more surprised than me."

After George V died in 1936 and the Prince of Wales abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, Prince Albert became the new king. "She was terribly upset. She and Bertie had never expected this to happen and never wanted it to happen," Mr. Shawcross said.

After her husband died in 1952, the Queen Mum talked daily with Queen Elizabeth II about government, politics, grandchildren and the bloodlines of horses they owned. While her daughter preferred flat racing, the Queen Mum favored steeplechase racing.

The Queen Mum's approach to handling the misery of leaving her child, 7-month-old Princess Elizabeth, to travel on an official trip with the king might surprise some people, even though her love of a good gin and tonic or a dry martini is well-known.

After saying goodbye to her infant daughter in the hall, the Queen wrote, "I drank some champagne and tried not to weep." Mr. Shawcross said his London editor, Georgina "George" Morley, likes that line so much that she quotes it often and thinks it's a great motto for getting through the worst of life.

Marylynne Pitz can be reached at mpitz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1648.

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