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  • Born: 14 December 1895
  • Birthplace: Sandringham, Norfolk, England
  • Died: 6 February 1952 (cancer-related heart attack)
  • Best Known As: King of Great Britain during WWII

Name at birth: Albert Frederick Arthur George Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Called Albert as a young man, the future king George VI was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the second son of King George V. Albert served in the Royal Navy during World War I and was created Duke of York in 1920. He married Elizabeth Bowles-Lyon on 26 April 1923; the couple had two daughters, Elizabeth (b. 1926) and Margaret (b. 1930). The Duke became King George VI when his elder brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated on 10 December 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George VI was formally crowned on 12 May 1937. During World War II the king and queen were praised for their staunch resolve and morale-boosting visits to factories and war-battered cities while the government of Winston Churchill prosecuted the war. A heavy smoker, George VI was recovering from an operation for lung cancer when he died of a heart attack in 1952. His daughter became Queen Elizabeth II.

George VI died in the same building at Sandringham in which he was born... He was born with the family name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha but died with the family name of Windsor; as explained by the Royal Family's official site, "The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha came to the British Royal Family in 1840 with the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert, son of Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha... King George V replaced the German-sounding title with that of Windsor during the First World War."

 
 
Biography: George VI

George VI (1895-1952) was king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1936 to 1952. He guided his country through World War II and the years of rapid transformation that followed.

Prince Albert, as George VI was generally known during his early years, was the second son of the Duke of York (later George V); he was born at York Cottage, Sandringham, on Dec. 15, 1895. Although a sensitive, shy, and at times nervous child, he was happy and possessed a determined spirit. In 1909 he entered the Royal Naval College at Osborne and 2 years later went on to Dartmouth. At both institutions he won the respect of his teachers and his classmates. Afterward he entered the navy professionally.

During the first years of World War I the prince served on the battleship Collingwood and later on the Malaya and while on the former participated in the Battle of Jutland (May 1916). Periods of illness, however, interrupted his service. Later in the war he was appointed to the Royal Naval Air Service, and in 1919 he became the first member of the royal family to receive a pilot's certificate.

After the war Prince Albert spent a year at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he proved to be a keen and diligent student. In 1920 George V created him Duke of York, and in this capacity he developed a special interest in industrial problems. His famous youth camps, where schoolboys and boys from industrial areas could spend weekends, were inaugurated in 1921. In 1923 he married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and the two became a model royal couple. They had two children: Princess Elizabeth (April 21, 1926) and Princess Margaret (Aug. 21, 1930).

Throughout the years between 1919 and his accession the Duke of York traveled widely. He gained a new confidence in himself and won the esteem of others. When his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936, the duke ascended to the throne as George VI. The new king brought to the monarchy a dignity, a compassion, and a broad understanding of human problems which served him well and compensated for his limited knowledge of political matters.

As king, George VI continued to display the qualities that characterized his earlier life. He proved to be a valuable source of advice for his ministers. In 1939 the King and Queen went to Canada in a precedent-breaking trip which was successful beyond expectations. As a result of this visit all talk of Canadian neutrality in the event of war ceased. That June the royal family proceeded to the United States, and the King became the first reigning British sovereign to enter that country. Throughout World War II he furthered Anglo-American unity. During the war he painstakingly carried out his many responsibilities and, together with the Queen, became a frequent visitor to the devastated areas of England. He identified with his people in their common suffering and gained their admiration. In postwar years he presided over far-reaching changes in the domestic and colonial realms. He died on Feb. 6, 1952.

Further Reading

Sir John W. Wheeler-Bennet, King George VI: His Life and Reign (1958), is a superb official biography that includes numerous samplings of the King's letters and diary comments. A King's Story: The Memoirs of the Duke of Windsor (1951) is useful for intimate reflections, and Harold G. Nicolson, King George V: His Life and Reign (1953), is an excellent companion volume.

 

George VI.
(click to enlarge)
George VI. (credit: Keystone)
(born Dec. 14, 1895, Sandringham, Norfolk, Eng. — died Feb. 6, 1952, Sandringham) King of the United Kingdom (1936 – 52). The second son of George V, he was proclaimed king following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. He was an important symbolic leader of the British people during World War II, supporting the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill and visiting his armies on several battlefronts. In 1949 he was formally recognized as head of the Commonwealth by its member states. He earned the respect of his people by scrupulously observing the responsibilities of a constitutional monarch and by overcoming the handicap of a severe stammer. He was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.

For more information on George VI, visit Britannica.com.

 
British History: George VI

George VI (1895-1952), king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1936-52), and emperor of India. George was born at Sandringham on 14 December, the second son of the future George V and Queen Mary. He was christened Albert Frederick Arthur George, and known in the family as Bertie. As a child Prince Albert lacked close emotional contact with his parents and was often overshadowed by his elder brother, Edward. His subsequent insecurity meant he was intensely shy and developed a stammer.

In 1909-13 he studied at the Naval College at Osborne and then Dartmouth. Prince Albert then spent time at sea on the battleship Collingwood but his active career was not a success. He suffered from chronic seasickness and spent long periods on sick leave for gastric troubles, though he served in the battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916.

In 1920 he was granted the title of duke of York. By now he was occupied with official duties. In 1919 he had become president of the Industrial Welfare Society touring industrial areas, showing genuine concern for problems and developing the ‘human touch’. He also founded the Duke of York's camp in 1921 to promote better relations between boys of different class backgrounds. At this time he fell in love with Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, young, spirited, and attractive. She finally agreed to marry him in 1923 and the wedding took place on 26 April at Westminster abbey. She was to be the stabilizing influence in his life and provide him with the love and support he had often been without. They had two daughters: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary born on 21 April 1926 and Margaret Rose born on 21 August 1930. They were devoted parents and formed a close family unit.

The duke and duchess toured the empire, visiting Ireland and East Africa in 1924, and New Zealand and Australia in 1925, opening the new parliament building in Canberra on 9 May. His stammer was still evident and made it difficult to make public speeches. In 1925 he was put in touch with Lionel Rogue, a speech therapist, who over the years helped him become a more assured speaker.

On 20 January 1936 George V died and by the end of the year Edward VIII had abdicated. The duke dreaded the prospect of becoming king, but resigned himself to the task. At the coronation on 12 May 1937 he was crowned George VI in an effort to restore a sense of continuity and stability. The king and queen refused to leave London during the Blitz, although Buckingham palace was bombed nine times. Thus the royal family shared a sense of common danger with the nation. They toured devastated areas, met civilian workers, and the king devised the George Cross medal for civilian gallantry. He also shared the grief when his youngest brother George, duke of Kent, was killed in action.

The post-war period was stressful for the king who fretted constantly. With Labour victory in 1945, he was worried at the scope and speed of the new legislative programme. Yet despite being a traditionalist, the king was not averse to social reform when necessary. He watched with great regret the dissolution of the Indian empire. In 1947 he toured South Africa in an attempt to strengthen ties to the Commonwealth, the future of which he was anxious to secure. The strains of war and the post-war period took their toll on his health. On 12 March 1949 he had an operation to remove a thrombosis on his right leg and on 23 September 1951 he had the whole of his left lung removed. Both operations were a success but he fought a losing battle to regain his health, and died in his sleep at Sandringham on 6 February 1952.

 
(Albert Frederick Arthur George), 1895–1952, king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1936–52), second son of George V; successor of his elder brother, Edward VIII. He attended the royal naval colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth and served in World War I. Later he served in the Royal Air Force. He studied at Cambridge for a time after the war, was created duke of York in 1920, and married (1923) Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. They had two daughters: Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret. When Edward VIII abdicated on Dec. 11, 1936, George became king. He and his consort were crowned on May 12, 1937. They made a state visit to France in July, 1938, and an unprecedented royal voyage to Canada and the United States in 1939. During World War II the king worked to keep up British morale by visiting bombed areas, inspecting war plants, and touring theaters of war action. In 1947 the royal family made a state visit and tour of South Africa. A tour of Australia and New Zealand, scheduled for 1949, was postponed indefinitely because of the king's illness at the end of 1948. Like his father, George was held in deep affection by his people. He was succeeded by Elizabeth II.

Bibliography

See biography by S. Bradford (1989).

 
Wikipedia: George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI
King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British
dominions beyond the Seas; Emperor of India
(more...)
Formal portrait, circa 1940–46
Formal portrait, circa 1940–46
Reign 11 December 19366 February 1952
India: 1936–47
Ireland: 1936–49
Coronation 12 May 1937
Predecessor Edward VIII
Successor Elizabeth II
Consort Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Issue
Elizabeth II
Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Full name
Albert Frederick Arthur George
Titles
HM The King
HRH The Duke of York
HRH The Prince Albert
HRH Prince Albert of Wales
HRH Prince Albert of Cornwall
HRH Prince Albert of York
HH Prince Albert of York
Royal house House of Windsor
Royal anthem God Save the King
Father George V
Mother Mary of Teck
Born 14 December 1895(1895--)
Sandringham House, Norfolk, England
Baptised 17 February 1896
St. Mary Magdalene's Church, Sandringham, England
Died 6 February 1952 (aged 56)
Sandringham House, Norfolk, England
Burial 15 February 1952
St George's Chapel, Windsor, England
Occupation Military

George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 18956 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India (until 1947) and the last King of Ireland (until 1949).

As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward. He served in the Royal Navy during World War I, and after the war took on the usual round of public engagements. He married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth (who succeeded him as Queen Elizabeth II) and Margaret.

At the death of their father in 1936, his brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII. However, less than a year later Edward expressed his desire to marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. For political and religious reasons, the British Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, informed Edward that he could not marry Mrs. Simpson and remain king. So, Edward abdicated to marry. By reason of this abdication, unique in 2000 years of British history, George VI ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.

Within 24 hours of his accession the Irish parliament (the Oireachtas) passed the External Relations Act, which essentially removed the power of the monarch in Ireland. Further events greatly altered the position of the monarchy during his reign: three years after his accession, his realms, except Ireland, were at war with Nazi Germany. In the next two years, war with Italy and the Empire of Japan followed. A major consequence of World War II was the decline of the British Empire, with the United States and the Soviet Union rising as pre-eminent world powers. With the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, and the foundation of the Republic of Ireland in 1949, King George's reign saw the acceleration of the break-up of the British Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations.

Birth and family

The future George VI was given the first name of Albert and was known formally as Prince Albert (or "Bertie" to his family).[1] He was born at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, England, during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. His father was Prince George, Duke of York (later King George V), the second and eldest-surviving son of the Prince (later Edward VII) and Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra). His mother was the Duchess of York (later Queen Mary), the eldest daughter of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.

Albert's birthday (14 December 1895) was the anniversary of the death of his great-grandfather, Prince Albert, the Prince Consort. Uncertain of how the Prince Consort's widow Queen Victoria would take the news of the birth, the Prince of Wales wrote to his son, Prince George, Duke of York, that the Queen had been "rather distressed".[2] Two days later, he wrote again: "I really think it would gratify her if you yourself proposed the name Albert to her".[2] This mollified the baby's great-grandmother, who wrote to the baby's mother, the Duchess of York: "I am all impatience to see the new one, born on such a sad day but rather more dear to me, especially as he will be called by that dear name which is a byword for all that is great and good".[2] He was baptised Albert Frederick Arthur George at St Mary Magdalene's Church near Sandringham three months later.[3] However, his maternal grandmother Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge did not like the first name the baby had been given, and she wrote prophetically that she hoped the last name "may supplant the less favoured one".[4] The second son, Albert was fourth in line for the throne at birth. The third in line to the throne, his older brother Edward, was born more than a year earlier, on 23 June 1894.

Early life

Four kings: King Edward VII (far right), his son George, Prince of Wales (far left), and grandsons Princes Albert (foreground) and Edward (rear), c. 1908
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Four kings: King Edward VII (far right), his son George, Prince of Wales (far left), and grandsons Princes Albert (foreground) and Edward (rear), c. 1908

As a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, Albert was styled His Highness Prince Albert of York from birth. In 1898, Queen Victoria issued Letters Patent that granted the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales the style Royal Highness. So, at age two, Albert became His Royal Highness Prince Albert of York.

He often suffered from ill health and was described as "easily frightened and somewhat prone to tears".[5] His parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, were generally removed from their children's day-to-day upbringing, as was the norm in aristocratic families of that era. Albert developed a severe stammer that lasted for many years, as well as chronic stomach problems. He suffered from knock knees, and to correct this he was forced to wear splints, which were extremely painful. He was also forced to write with his right hand although he was naturally left-handed.[6]

Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901, and the Prince of Wales succeeded her as King Edward VII. The Duke of York became the new Prince of Wales. Prince Edward was then second in line for the throne, and Prince Albert was third.

Military career and education

From 1909, Albert attended the Royal Naval College, Osborne as a naval cadet. He came bottom of the class in the final examination, but despite this he progressed to the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1911.[7] When Edward VII died on 6 May 1910, Albert's father became King George V. Prince Edward was created Prince of Wales on 2 June 1910, and Albert was now second in line to the throne.

Albert was commissioned as a midshipman on 15 September 1913 and one year later began service in World War I. His fellow officers gave their royal peer the ordinary nickname "Mr. Johnson".[8] He saw action aboard HMS Collingwood in the Battle of Jutland (31 May1 June 1916), which ended as a tactical victory for Germany but a strategic victory for the United Kingdom. Albert did not see further action in the War largely because of ill health caused by a duodenal ulcer.[9] In February 1918 Prince Albert was appointed Officer in Charge of Boys at the Royal Naval Air Service's training establishment at Cranwell.[10] With the establishment of the Royal Air Force later that year and the transfer of Cranwell from Navy to Air Force control, Albert transferred from the Royal Navy to the Royal Air Force.[11] He was later appointed Officer Commanding Number 4 Squadron of the Boys' Wing at Cranwell and he remained there until August 1918.[10]

After the war, Prince Albert studied history, economics and civics for a year at Trinity College, Cambridge, from October 1919.[12] On 3 June 1920, Prince Albert was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney.[13] He then began to take on royal duties, representing his father, the King, touring coal mines, factories, and railyards, acquiring the nickname of the "Industrial Prince".[14]

Marriage

British Royalty
House of Windsor
Royal_Standard_of_England.svg
George VI
   Elizabeth II
   Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

In a time when royals were expected to marry fellow royals, it was unusual that Albert had a great deal of freedom in choosing a prospective wife. In 1920 he met Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the youngest daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. He became determined to marry her.[15]

Although Lady Elizabeth was a descendant of King Robert I of Scotland and King Henry VII of England, she was, according to British law, a commoner. She rejected his proposal twice and hesitated for nearly two years, reportedly because she was reluctant to make the sacrifices necessary to become a member of the royal family.[16] In the words of Lady Elizabeth's mother, Albert would be "made or marred" by his choice of wife, and after a protracted courtship Elizabeth agreed to marry him.[17]

They were married on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey. The newly formed British Broadcasting Company wished to record and broadcast the event on radio, but the Chapter vetoed the idea (although the Dean, Herbert Edward Ryle, was in favour).[18] Lady Elizabeth was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York after their marriage. Albert's marriage to a British commoner was considered a modernising gesture.[19]

The Duke and Duchess of York had two children, Elizabeth (called "Lilibet" by the family), born 21 April 1926, who succeeded her father as Elizabeth II, and Margaret, born 21 August 1930. The Duke and Duchess and their two daughters lived a relatively sheltered life at their London residence, 145 Piccadilly. One of the few stirs arose when the Canadian Prime Minister, R. B. Bennett, considered the Duke for Governor General of Canada in 1931 — a proposal that the King rejected on the advice of his ministers.[20]

The Duchess helped him overcome his dread (due to stammering) of public speaking. On the way to presiding over the opening of Australia's Federal Parliament at Canberra, he was introduced by her to Lionel Logue, an Australian-born expert on speech. The Duke and Logue went over the speech multiple times, and the Duchess rehearsed with him patiently on the sea voyage to Australia. The address at Canberra went successfully, and he was able to speak thereafter with only a slight hesitation.[21]

Reluctant king

On 20 January 1936, King George V died and Prince Edward ascended the throne as Edward VIII. As Edward had no children, Albert was the heir presumptive to the throne until his unmarried brother had any legitimate children, or died. George V had had severe reservations about Edward, saying, "I pray God that my eldest son will never marry and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne."[22] Less than a year later, on 11 December 1936, Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry his love, the twice-divorced Wallis Warfield Simpson. Edward had been advised by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he could not remain King and marry a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands. Edward chose abdication in preference to abandoning his marriage plans. Thus Prince Albert, Duke of York, was now king, a position he was reluctant to accept. The day before the abdication, he went to London to see his mother, Queen Mary. He wrote in his diary, "When I told her what had happened, I broke down and sobbed like a child."[23]

Courtier and journalist Dermot Morroh alleged that there was brief speculation as to the desirability of bypassing Albert and his brother, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, in favour of the younger brother Prince George, Duke of Kent. This seems to have been suggested on the grounds that Prince George was at that time the only brother with a son.[24]

Reign

Albert assumed the style and title King George VI to emphasise continuity with his father and restore confidence in the monarchy.[25] The beginning of George VI's reign was taken up by questions surrounding his predecessor and brother, whose titles, style and position were uncertain. He had been introduced as "His Royal Highness Prince Edward" for the Abdication broadcast,[26] but George VI felt that by abdicating and renouncing the succession Edward had lost the right to bear Royal titles, including "Royal Highness".[27] In settling the issue, George's first act as King was to confer upon his brother the title HRH The Duke of Windsor. But the Letters Patent creating the dukedom prevented any wife and children from bearing royal styles. George VI was also forced to buy the royal houses of Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House from Prince Edward, as these were private properties and did not pass to George VI on his accession.[28] Three days after his accession, on his forty-first birthday, he invested his wife, the new Queen, with the Order of the Garter.[29]

George VI's coronation took place on 12 May 1937, the previously intended date of Edward's coronation. In a break with tradition, Queen Mary attended the coronation as a show of support for her son.[30] There was no Durbar held in Delhi for George VI, as had occurred for his father, as the cost would have been a burden to the government of India.[31] Rising Indian nationalism made the welcome that the royal couple would have received likely to be muted at best,[32] and a prolonged absence from Britain would have been undesirable in the tense period before World War II. Two overseas tours were undertaken, to France and North America, both of which promised greater strategic advantages in the event of war.[33]

The growing likelihood of war in Europe dominated the early reign of George VI. The King was constitutionally bound to support Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement stance towards Adolf Hitler. However, when the King and Queen greeted Chamberlain on his return from negotiating the Munich Agreement in 1938, they invited him to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with them. This public association of the monarchy with a politician was exceptional, as balcony appearances were traditionally restricted to the royal family.[6]

George VI, as King of Canada, grants Royal Assent to laws in the Canadian Senate, 19 May 1939. His consort, Queen Elizabeth, is to the right
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George VI, as King of Canada, grants Royal Assent to laws in the Canadian Senate, 19 May 1939. His consort, Queen Elizabeth, is to the right

In 1939, the King and Queen undertook an extensive tour of Canada, during which they made a brief visit to the United States. From Ottawa, the royal couple were accompanied throughout the trip by the Prime Minister of Canada, and not a British minister, meaning they were present in both Canada and the US as King and Queen of Canada.[34][35] George was the first reigning Monarch of Canada to visit North America, though he had been to his Canadian realm previously as Prince Albert and as Duke of York. The Canadian Prime Minister at the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King, hoped that the King's presence in Canada would allow him to demonstrate in reality the principles of the Statute of Westminster 1931, which gave full self-government to the Dominions and recognised each Dominion as having a separate crown. Thus, at his Canadian residence, Rideau Hall, George VI personally accepted and approved the Letter of Credence of the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Daniel Calhoun Roper. The official Royal Tour historian, Gustave Lanctot, stated: "When Their Majesties walked into their Canadian residence, the Statute of Westminster had assumed full reality: the King of Canada had come home."[35]

The entire trip was a measure intended to soften the strong isolationist tendencies among the North American public vis-à-vis the developing tensions in Europe. Although the aim of the tour was mainly political, to shore up Atlantic support for Britain in any upcoming war, the King and Queen were enthusiastically received by the Canadian public.[36] The fear that George would be unfavourably compared to his predecessor, Edward VIII, was dispelled.[37] They were also warmly received by the American people, visiting the 1939 New York World's Fair and staying with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House and at his private estate at Hyde Park, New York.[38]

When war broke out in 1939, George VI and his wife resolved to stay in London and not flee to Canada, as had been suggested. The King and Queen officially stayed in Buckingham Palace throughout the war, although they usually spent nights at Windsor Castle to avoid bombing raids. George VI and Queen Elizabeth narrowly avoided death when two German bombs exploded in a courtyard at Buckingham Palace whilst they were there.[39]

Eleanor Roosevelt (centre), King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in London, 23 October 1942
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Eleanor Roosevelt (centre), King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in London, 23 October 1942

In 1940 Neville Chamberlain was replaced as Prime Minister by Winston Churchill. Throughout the war, the King and Queen provided morale-boosting visits throughout the UK, visiting bomb sites and munitions factories. The Royal Family adhered to rationing restrictions in the country at the time; indeed, U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt during her stay at Buckingham Palace during the war reported expressly on the rationed food served in the Palace and the limited bathwater that was permitted.[40]

Author Will Swift has suggested that a strong bond of friendship was forged between the King and Queen and President and First Lady during the 1939 Royal Tour, which had major significance in the relations between the United States and Great Britain through the war years.[41] However, there have never been credible suggestions that the King took any strategic role in the war; his frequent letters to the President were mostly unanswered, and it was Roosevelt's relationship with Churchill that was critical. Eleanor Roosevelt took a wry view of the utility of kings and queens and the substance of George and Elizabeth ("a little self-consciously regal," was her verdict on Elizabeth).[42]

In 1945, in an echo of Chamberlain's appearance, the King invited Churchill to appear with him on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the VE Day celebrations.

Empire to Commonwealth

Statue of George VI at Carlton House Terrace, London
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Statue of George VI at Carlton House Terrace, London

George VI's reign saw the acceleration of the dissolution of the British Empire, which had begun with the Balfour Declaration at the Imperial Conference of 1926, when the Commonwealth came into being and the Dominions were acknowledged to have evolved into sovereign states over a period of years previous — the declaration was formalised in the Statute of Westminster 1931 (Imp.).[43]

Britain's brief League of Nations Mandate over Iraq ended in 1932 with Iraqi independence without membership in the as-yet ill-defined Commonwealth even being considered. This process gathered pace after World War II. Transjordan became independent as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1946, Burma in January 1948, and Palestine (although divided between Israel and the Arab states) that May; all three opted out of the Commonwealth. After declaring itself a Republic, southern Ireland left the Commonwealth the following year. India became the two independent dominions of India and Pakistan. George relinquished the title of Emperor of India, and became King of India and King of Pakistan instead. In 1950 India became a republic within the Commonwealth, and George VI ceased to be King of India. India recognised George's new title as Head of the Commonwealth.[44]

Illness and death

The stress of the war had taken its toll on the King's health,[45] exacerbated by his heavy smoking and subsequent development of lung cancer among other ailments including arteriosclerosis. Increasingly his daughter Princess Elizabeth, the heir presumptive to the throne, would take on more of the royal duties as her father's health deteriorated. In September 1951, George VI underwent a pneumonectomy where his left lung was removed following the discovery of a malignant tumor.[46]

In January 1952, despite advice from those close to him, he went to the airport to see off Princess Elizabeth, who was going on a tour of Australia via Kenya. Before takeoff he reportedly said to Bobo Macdonald, Elizabeth's nanny in childhood who was accompanying her on the trip, "Take care of Lilibet for me", and she promised she would.[47] It was the last time he was to see her.

On 6 February 1952, George VI died from a heart attack in his sleep at Sandringham House in Norfolk, at the age of 56.[45] After lying in state at Westminster Hall, his funeral took place on 15 February, and he was interred in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.[48] In 2002, the remains of his wife Queen Elizabeth and the ashes of his daughter, Princess Margaret, were interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George's Chapel alongside him.

Legacy

There are a number of geographical features, roads, and institutions named after George VI. These include King George Hospital in London; the King George VI Highway, including the King George Station, in the Metro Vancouver district of British Columbia; George VI Sound in Antarctica; and the King George VI Chase, a horse race in the United Kingdom.

Titles, styles and honours

A plaque on Manchester Town Hall records George VI's titles before giving up the title Emperor of India
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A plaque on Manchester Town Hall records George VI's titles before giving up the title Emperor of India

Titles

Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

  • 1895–1898: His Highness Prince Albert of York
  • 1898–1901: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of York
  • 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Cornwall and York
  • 1901–1910: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Wales
  • 1910–1920: His Royal Highness The Prince Albert
  • 1920–1936: His Royal Highness The Duke of York
    • in Scotland: May 1929: His Grace The Lord High Commissioner
  • 1936–1952: His Majesty The King

and, occasionally, outside of the United Kingdom, and with regard to India (until the King ceased to use the imperial title upon India's independence)

  • 1936–1947: His Imperial Majesty The King–Emperor
Flag_of_the_Isle_of_Man.svg

Isle of Man:

Flag_of_Guernsey.svg

Flag_of_Jersey.svg Islands of Guernsey & Jersey:

Styles

Monarchical Styles of
King George VI of the United Kingdom
Edward's_crown_PD_cleaned.png
Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Sir

From his brother's ascension to the throne, on 20 January 1936, until his own accession, on 11 December 1936, Prince Albert held the style His Royal Highness, The Prince Albert, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney.

His full style as king was, from 11 December 1936, George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India. Following 1948 the style Emperor of India was dropped, and the King was styled George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith.

Honours

Ancestors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Edward VII of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Victoria of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. George V of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Christian IX of Denmark
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Alexandra of Denmark
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Prince William of Hesse