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List of titles and honours of George VI

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List of titles and honours of George VI
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George VI received numerous decorations and honorary appointments, both during and before his time as monarch of the United Kingdom and the dominions. Of those listed below; where two dates are shown, the first indicates the date of receiving the award or title, and the second indicates the date of its loss or renunciation.

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George VI in 1938

Titles, styles, and honours

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A foundation plaque at Manchester Town Hall records the titles of George VI as King-Emperor
Quick facts Styles of King George VI, Reference style ...

Titles and styles

George VI was from birth a Prince of the United Kingdom, and was subsequently created a royal duke. It was as a duke that he succeeded his brother, King Edward VIII, to the throne.

  • 14 December 1895 – 28 May 1898: His Highness Prince Albert of York
  • 28 May 1898 – 22 January 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of York
  • 22 January 1901 – 9 November 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Cornwall and York
  • 9 November 1901 – 6 May 1910: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Wales
  • 6 May 1910 – 3 June 1920: His Royal Highness The Prince Albert[1]
  • 3 June 1920 – 11 December 1936: His Royal Highness The Duke of York
  • 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952: His Majesty The King

Titles vested in the Crown

Certain titles are borne and held by the reigning sovereign.

Isle of Man Isle of Man
  • 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952: His Majesty The King, Lord of Mann
England Church of England

Other titles traditionally attributed to the reigning sovereign are Duke of Lancaster, to reflect that the Duchy of Lancaster is a private estate of the sovereign,[2][a] and Duke of Normandy in the sovereign's capacity as head of state of the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey.[4][b]

Titles held personally

George VI held certain titles in a personal capacity, either by virtue of birth, or otherwise.

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Commonwealth of Nations

Title in the dominions and India

See also: Dominion and British Raj

The Dominions were self-governing entities which had the as their respective head of state the same person as was the British sovereign.[12][13] These Dominions typically used the style and title of the sovereign as proclaimed in the United Kingdom, which, from the reign of Edward VII came to include the phrase, “and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas”,[d] signifying their reign over said Dominions.[15] However, the sovereign reigned in these Dominions in a capacity independent from their position as monarch of the United Kingdom, similar in meaning and usage to, but not the same as modern-day Commonwealth realms, in that they lacked a separate title for each Dominion, until the reign of Elizabeth II. George VI's reign in the Dominions does not completely match his reign in the United Kingdom and his role as monarch in the Irish Free State is debated.[16]

With reference to the British Raj, George VI as sovereign was formally styled His Imperial Majesty the King, Emperor of India, in official Government of India publications.[17] This style, along with the general style of His Majesty the King Emperor,[18] was used until the independence and partition of India in 1947. Per the terms of the Indian Independence Act, the imperial title was to be abolished. However, George VI issued a royal proclamation for that purpose and to that effect only on 22 June 1948, effectively reigning as king in the newly created Dominions of India and Pakistan whilst still bearing the imperial title for himself and his consort.[19]

The title of Kaisar-i-Hind was coined in 1876 by the orientalist G. W. Leitner as the imperial title for the sovereign[20] and was also employed in an official capacity, most notably to denote Crown property in India.[21] This title continues to persist as a placeholder to the modern day in official records dating to the British era, despite the prohibition and deprecation of the use of the said title and all its variants for any and all purposes.[22] Its usage is to be so understood as to denote the Government of India per the relevant provisions of the Government Grants Act,[23] read alongside and in the context of the Transfer of Property Act and the Repealing and Amending (Second) Act.[24][25]

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Military ranks

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Orders and decorations

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British

Orders of Chivalry

Campaign Medals

Coronation/Jubilee medals

Foreign

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The decorations of George VI on display at BRNC Dartmouth.

Appointments

Decorations

Undress ribbons

The undress ribbons worn by George VI in undress uniform were as follows:[42]


Order of the Bath Order of the Star of India Order of St Michael and St George
Order of the Indian Empire Royal Victorian Order Order of the British Empire 1914–15 Star
British War Medal Victory Medal with

Mention in Despatches

 1939-1945 Star Italy Star
France and Germany Star Defence Medal War Medal 1939-1945 Queen Victoria Diamond

Jubilee Medal

King Edward VII Coronation

Medal

 King George V Coronation

Medal

 King George V Silver

Jubilee Medal

 Norwegian War Cross
Greek Cross of Valour American European–African–Middle

Eastern Campaign Medal

 Croix de Guerre 1939–1945

with bronze palm

 Russian Imperial Order of

Saint Prince Vladimir

Honorary appointments

Personal Aide-de-Camp

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Civil

Privy Counsellor

Freedom of the City

Honorary degrees

Honorific eponyms

Further information: Royal eponyms in Canada

A number of geographical features, roads, and institutions are named after George VI. These include King George Hospital in London; King George VI Reservoir in Surrey, United Kingdom; King George Highway and King George Boulevard in Surrey, British Columbia; Kingsway in Edmonton; George VI Sound in Antarctica; and the King George VI Chase, a horse race in the United Kingdom.

The fourth future Dreadnought-class submarine will be named HMS King George VI.[73]

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See also

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Notes

  1. The legal basis for the sovereign’s use of the title has been disputed. George VI’s father, George V was given legal advice that it was “extremely unlikely” that he was, in fact, the Duke of Lancaster.[3]
  2. There is no basis in law for the title[5] and the legal basis of the monarch’s sovereignty is as successor to the Dukes of Normandy.[6] Jersey and Guernsey and the other Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy when the Duke of Normandy was also the king of England.[4] Under the Treaty of Paris (1259) the king of England renounced his claims to the Duchy but retained possession of the islands.[7]
  3. George VI held his German titles by virtue of being a descendant of the Prince Consort. All German degrees, styles, dignities, titles, honors, and appellations were renounced on 17 July 1917 by George V for himself, his descendants, and all other descendants of Queen Victoria. An amendment to the House laws of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha barred any descendant of a member of the ducal house who was in 1917 a national of a country which waged war against the German Empire from succeeding to the ducal throne, effectively removing any remote succession rights that the British royalty still held by virtue of the partial renunciation by Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.[citation needed]
  4. Later dropped in its entirety in favour of “and of Her other Realms and Territories” during the reign of Elizabeth II.[14]
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References

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