George VI

George VI (born Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor;^[1] 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom from 11 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952. He became king when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson. George was married to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon from April 1923 until his death.

George VI
Formal photograph, c. 1940–1946
King 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
Emperor of India
Reign	11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947
Predecessor	Edward VIII
Successor	Position abolished[a]
Born	Prince Albert of York (1895-12-14)14 December 1895 York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, England
Died	6 February 1952(1952-02-06) (aged 56) Sandringham House, Norfolk
Burial	15 February 1952 Royal Vault, St George's Chapel; 26 March 1969 King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel
Spouse	Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon ​ ​ (m. 1923)​
Issue Detail	Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Full name Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor
House	Windsor (from 1917) Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917)
Father	George V
Mother	Mary of Teck
Service/branch	Royal Navy  Royal Air Force
Years of service	1913–1919 (active service)
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Jutland

A heavy smoker, George died of lung cancer and was given a state funeral. He was 56 years old. He was succeeded as monarch by his elder daughter, Elizabeth.

Reign

George had a stutter.^[2] 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.^[2] The story of this part of George's life was made into a movie in 2010 called The King's Speech.^[2] Colin Firth played the role of George, and Geoffrey Rush played the role of Logue.

George became a very popular king throughout the British Empire. He won admiration during World War II (1939–1945), in which he stayed at Buckingham Palace during the most intense months of the Blitz. The Palace was bombed more than twice but he still remained, becoming a symbol of resistance and "fighting spirit". He enjoyed a close working relationship with his wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, inviting him to join the Royal Family on Victory in Europe Day (1945) to celebrate the defeat of the Nazis.

In 1939, George VI became the first British reigning monarch to visit the United States.^[3]

After World War II ended, his health began to decline which meant he could not do many duties as king so Princess Elizabeth took them on in his place.

British Prime Ministers

• Stanley Baldwin (1935–1937)
• Neville Chamberlain (1937–1940)
• Winston Churchill (first term, 1940–1945)
• Clement Attlee (1945–1951)
• Winston Churchill (second term, 1951–1952)

Family

George VI was the son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was the younger brother of Edward VIII, who gave up the throne to marry an American divorced woman, Wallis Simpson. In April 1923, George married his beloved wife Elizabeth, who later became known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. They had two children, Princesses Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) (1926–2022) and Margaret (1930–2002).

Death and funeral

George VI died on 6 February 1952 from a coronary thrombosis caused by lung cancer.^[4] Crowds began to gather in London in the early hours of the morning of the funeral. Thousands saw the event on television. Shortly after 9:00am, the funeral procession arrived at Westminster Hall. More than 300,000 people paid their respects to his body which lay in state for three days.

Notes

1. George VI continued as titular Emperor of India until 22 June 1948.