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Despite popular belief, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was not born at Glamis Castle. In fact, the exact location of her birth has never been confirmed, although it's now believed that she was born in London. However, there is no dispute over any of the other particulars of the birth of the baby who was destined to become Queen of the United Kingdom and Ireland - Elizabeth was born on August 14, 1900, the ninth child of Lord and Lady Glamis.
At the age of four, Elizabeth's paternal grandfather died and her father became the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, a grand title which was accompanied by an equally grand family home, Glamis Castle.
From then on, Elizabeth's time was divided between Glamis and the family's other homes in St Paul's Walden Bury and Durham. In later years, The Queen Mother often mentioned her 'delightful childhood days' at Glamis Castle, where she would play in the gardens with her beloved younger brother David, ride her pony in the lush green fields and explore the nearby woods and riverbanks. And the young Elizabeth was by no means confined to the castle grounds - she would wander up the Castle Drive to the village of Glamis to buy sweets from the local Post Office and she was a keen member of the Glamis Girl Guides.
The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 must have brought a sudden end to the Elizabeth's childhood. The family was visiting London when war was declared and, when her father decided that London was no place for the women in his life, Elizabeth and her older sister, Rose, were sent to Glamis with their mother.
The castle was to provide no escape from the horrors of war. As the casualties poured in from the Western Front, hospitals struggled to cope and, in common with many other stately homes in Scotland, Glamis became a convalescent home. Although only 14, Elizabeth was determined to help and she was soon closely involved in caring for the wounded soldiers who had been sent to Glamis to recover from their terrible injuries.
The end of the First World War meant Elizabeth's life could return to normal. In 1919, Lady Elizabeth of Glamis was one of that season's most admired debutantes, catching the eye of many highly eligible bachelors, including Prince Albert, second son of King George V.
Almost four years later, Lady Elizabeth and Prince Albert announced their engagement and they were married on April 26, 1923. The happy couple honeymooned at Glamis, where Elizabeth was delighted to introduce her new husband to the wonderful Angus countryside.
Elizabeth's first child, Princess Elizabeth, was born in London in 1926 but, as the birth of her second baby approached, Elizabeth decided to visit her mother. As a result, Elizabeth and Albert's second child, Princess Margaret, was born at Glamis Castle in the middle of the most tremendous thunderstorm the, first royal baby born in Scotland for over 300 years.
Over the next few years, with the Abdication crisis, her husband's appointment as King, her new role as Queen, and the Second World War, there must have been times when Elizabeth yearned for the peaceful life she had so enjoyed at Glamis. Although she was unable to visit very often, the Queen Mother would return to Glamis whenever she could and her last official visit was in 1998.
When the Queen Mother died in 2002, people from all over the world laid flowers at the gates of Glamis Castle and, in recognition of the Queen Mother's links with Glamis, there is now a beautiful new set of gates at the entrance to Glamis Castle, proudly adorned with the Queen Mother's coat of arms. "These gates provide a fitting memorial in a most fitting family place," said Prince Charles, grandson of the Queen Mother and himself a descendant of the ancient Scottish family who have long lived at Glamis Castle.