George VI of the United Kingdom
| George VI | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Formal portrait, c. 1940–46 | |||||
| Monarch of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (more...) | |||||
| Reign | 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952 | ||||
| Coronation | 12 May 1937 | ||||
| Predecessor | Edward VIII | ||||
| Successor | Elizabeth II | ||||
| Prime Ministers | See list | ||||
| Emperor of India | |||||
| Reign | 11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947 | ||||
| Predecessor | Edward VIII | ||||
| Born |
14 December 1895 York Cottage, Sandringham House, Norfolk, United Kingdom | ||||
| Died |
6 February 1952 (aged 56) Sandringham House, Norfolk | ||||
| Burial |
15 February 1952 St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle | ||||
| Spouse | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon | ||||
| Issue |
Elizabeth II Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Windsor | ||||
| Father | George V | ||||
| Mother | Mary of Teck | ||||
George VI (York Cottage, Sandringham House, 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952),[1][2] was born Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor. He was the King of the United Kingdom from 11 December 1936 until he died. He became king when his elder brother, Edward VIII abdicated (resigned) in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson. George VI was married to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon from 1923 until his death.
He was succeeded as monarch by his elder daughter Elizabeth II.
George VI had a speech problem, a stutter.[3] This made it very difficult for him to carry out many of the public duties of a king which required him to make speeches. He was treated by an Australian speech and language therapist called Lionel Logue.[3] The story of this part of George VI's life was made into a movie in 2010 called The King's Speech.[3] Colin Firth played the role of George VI and Geoffrey Rush played the role of Logue.
He became a very popular king throughout the British Empire. He won admiration during the Second World War (1939–1945) in which he stayed at Buckingham Palace during the most intense months of the blitz. Buckingham Palace was bombed more than twice but he still remained, becoming a symbol of resistance and 'fighting spirit'. He opened the Festival of Britain in 1951 and enjoyed a close working relationship with the war Prime Minister Winston Churchill and invited him to join the royal family on VE Day to celebrate the end of the War.
A heavy smoker, His Majesty King George VI died of lung cancer and was given a large state funeral. He was fifty-six.
Prime Ministers[change | change source]
- Stanley Baldwin (1935–1937)
- Neville Chamberlain (1937–1940)
- Winston Churchill (1940–1945)
- Clement Attlee (1945–1951)
- Winston Churchill (second term, 1951–2)
Family[change | change source]
George VI was the son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was the younger brother of Edward VIII who abdicated from the throne to marry an American, Wallis Simpson. In 1923 George VI married his beloved wife Elizabeth, who later became known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. They had two children, Princess Elizabeth (Later Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret (1930–2002).
Death and Funeral[change | change source]
King George VI died in 1952. Crowds began to gather in London in the early hours of the morning of the funeral. Thousands saw the event on television. Shortly after 9:00 am, the funeral procession arrived at Westminster Hall. More than 300,000 people paid homage to the body of the king, who was in chapel for three days.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 26689, p. 7267, 14 December 1895. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 39458, p. 757, 6 February 1952. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Stuttering and the King's Speech". stutteringhelp.org. 2011 [last update]. Retrieved 30 April 2011. Check date values in:
|year=(help)
Other websites[change | change source]
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