George VI

Full name
	Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor

George VI
George VI
	Formal photograph, c. 1940–1946
King of the United Kingdom; and the British Dominions (more...)
	11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952
	12 May 1937
Predecessor	Edward VIII
Successor	Elizabeth II
Emperor of India
	11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947
Predecessor	Edward VIII
Successor	Position abolished
Born	Prince Albert of York; 14 December 1895; York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, England
Died	6 February 1952 (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
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; United Kingdom Air Force;
Years of service	1913–1919 (active service)
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Jutland; ;

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.

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.

George VI Media

Four kings: Edward VII (far right); his son George, Prince of Wales, later George V (far left); and grandsons Edward, later Edward VIII (rear); and Albert, later George VI (foreground), c. 1908
HRH Prince Albert at the Independent Air Force Dinner on 14 July 1919 at the Savoy Hotel, London. Albert is wearing the insignia of the rank of captain.
The Duke and Duchess of York (centre, reading programmes) at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane, Queensland, 1927
On the cover of Time, January 1925
Crown coin with George in profile, 1937
Painting of the Coronation in 1937
Cover of the 7 May 1937 edition of Radio Times, drawn by C. R. W. Nevinson, marking the first coronation to be broadcast, and partially televised, live
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, on the USS Potomac, 9 June 1939
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Elizabeth with RAF personnel during World War II
With Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (right), near the front lines in the Netherlands, October 1944