The Queen Mother's love of the North Yorkshire countryside came within a whisker of securing her a retreat in the county - but the idea was halted on security grounds by the Home Office.
Following the death of her husband, King George Vl, half-a-century ago, she seemed set to buy Mowbray House at Kirkby Malzeard.
She had a great affection for the area, forged during regular visits to her schooldays friend and bridesmaid, Lady Doris Vyner, whose family once owned nearby Studley Royal estate and Fountains Abbey.
But the Home Office vetoed the idea of the purchase, deeming it unsuitable on security grounds for a former Queen.
The present owner of Mowbray House is Major Geoffrey Berry.
He heard of the royal connection when he bought the property in 1991 and checked it with Lieutenant Colonel Sir Martin Gilliatt, who was then the Queen Mother's private secretary.
"Eventually the Queen Mother bought the Castle of Mey, in the north-east of Scotland," said Maj Berry.
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