George VI

George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of India from 1936 until the British Raj was dissolved in August 1947, and the first Head of the Commonwealth following the London Declaration of 1949. The future George VI was born during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria; he was named Albert at birth after his late great-grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and was known as "Bertie" to his family and close friends. His father ascended the throne as George V in 1910. As the second son of the king, Albert was not expected to inherit the throne. He spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward, the heir apparent. Albert attended naval college as a teenager and served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during the First World War. In 1920, he was made Duke of York. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. In the mid-1920s, he engaged speech therapist Lionel Logue to treat his stutter, which he learned to manage to some degree. His elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII after their father died in 1936, but Edward abdicated later that year to marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. As heir presumptive to Edward VIII, Albert became king, taking the regnal name George VI. In September 1939, the British Empire and most Commonwealth countries—but not Ireland—declared war on Nazi Germany, following the invasion of Poland. War with the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively. George VI was seen as sharing the hardships of the common people and his popularity soared. Buckingham Palace was bombed during the Blitz while the King and Queen were there, and his younger brother the Duke of Kent was killed on active service. George became known as a symbol of British determination to win the war. Britain and its allies were victorious in 1945, but the British Empire declined. Ireland had largely broken away, followed by the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947. George relinquished the title of Emperor of India in June 1948 and instead adopted the new title of Head of the Commonwealth. He was beset by smoking-related health problems in the later years of his reign and died at Sandringham House, aged 56, of a coronary thrombosis. He was succeeded by his elder daughter, Elizabeth II.

Infobox

Reign

11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947[b]

Coronation

12 May 1937

Predecessor

Edward VIII

Successor

Position abolished

Born

Prince Albert of York(1895-12-14)14 December 1895York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, England

Died

6 February 1952(1952-02-06) (aged 56)Sandringham House, Norfolk, England

Burial

15 February 1952Royal Vault, St George's Chapel 26 March 1969King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel

Spouse

mw- Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (m. 1923)

IssueDetail

mw- Elizabeth II Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Names

NamesAlbert Frederick Arthur George

House

Windsor (from 1917) Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917)

Father

George V

Mother

Mary of Teck

Religion

Protestant[c]

Education

Royal Naval College, Osborne Britannia Royal Naval College

Branch

Royal Navy Royal Air Force

Years of active service

1913–1919

Battles / wars

mw- li World War I Battle of Jutland

Conflicts

mw- li World War I Battle of Jutland

Tables

· Issue

Date

Name

Date

Birth

Spouse

Elizabeth II

Name

Elizabeth II

Birth

21 April 1926

Death

8 September 2022

Marriage

20 November 1947

Marriage

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Children

Charles IIIAnne, Princess RoyalAndrew Mountbatten-WindsorPrince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Name

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Birth

21 August 1930

Death

9 February 2002

Marriage

6 May 1960Divorced 11 July 1978

Marriage

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon

Children

David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of SnowdonLady Sarah Chatto

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage		Children
Name	Birth	Death	Date	Spouse	Children
Elizabeth II	21 April 1926	8 September 2022	20 November 1947	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Charles IIIAnne, Princess RoyalAndrew Mountbatten-WindsorPrince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon	21 August 1930	9 February 2002	6 May 1960Divorced 11 July 1978	Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon	David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of SnowdonLady Sarah Chatto

· External links

Regnal titles