From the moment of abdication - which shook the Royal family and establishment profoundly - the Queen Mother took charge of events. From living modestly in Piccadilly, married to the Duke of York, she suddenly found herself chatelaine of a palace, two castles and a huge country house. She steadied the new king's nerves and, over the succeeding half-century, brought to bear a decisive influence on the royal family and hence the life of the nation.