Mary of Teck

Born in Kensington in 1867, Mary was the daughter of a German duke and a granddaughter of George III, known as "May" after her birth month. At 24 she was betrothed to Prince Albert Victor, second in line to the throne; he died unexpectedly six weeks after the engagement was announced, during a pandemic. The following year she became engaged to his only surviving brother, George, and rose through the ranks — Duchess of York, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess of Wales. As queen consort from 1910, she steadied George V through the First World War and the political upheaval that followed. After his de…