Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor was conceived in York Cottage, Sandringham House, on December 14, 1895, and died on February 6, 1952.Since December 11, 1936, he was King of the United Kingdom until his death. Once his elder brother, Edward VIII, stepped down in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, he was crowned king.During his lifetime, King George VI stayed on the throne even though he did not want the role. Between 1923 and his demise, George VI was wedded to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Although blockbusters such as the Oscar-winning ‘The King’s Speech’ and Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ have immortalized the backstory of George, you may well not know the complete tale of his historic life.Facts About King George VIGeorge was conceived on the 34th anniversary of his great-grandfather, Prince Albert, during the rule of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Keep reading to know more.While the birth of a child is a joyous occasion, George’s family was apprehensive. They named the newborn ‘Albert’ to calm Queen Victoria’s nerves.Although Edward VIII may be the first family member to fly a plane, George VI was the first full-fledged pilot. It is indeed Bertie’s job to abide by the law.King George VI is the first monarch to speak to common people through live radio after his crowning. To combat his infamous stutter, he talked gently. ‘Never before has a newly crowned King been able to talk to all his people in their own homes on the day of his coronation.‘Since September 1940, King George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill regularly met for lunch each Tuesday to talk about the war in private and openly for four years.The Prime Minister of Canada, RB Bennett, proposed that Prince Albert serve as Governor-General of Canada.The idea of appointing such a member of the status from the Royal Family to the position sparked outrage and was eventually abandoned by his father, George V.During George’s World War I, he did not experience much fighting. Blame his long-term health concerns, particularly ulcers, which necessitated an operation in November 1917.King George VI founded the Festival of Britain in 1951 and had a strong interpersonal connection with Winston Churchill, the wartime Prime Minister, whom he invited to join the Royal Family on Victory in Europe Day to commemorate the war’s end.The British Broadcasting Corporation had intended to air Prince Albert and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon’s marriage on national radio when it was first established.Westminster Abbey’s clergymen rejected such a proposal. On April 26, 1923, the pair married off the airways.His Majesty King George VI, a chronic smoker, succumbed to lung cancer and was granted a formal cremation.While George and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were happily married, their honeymoon was less pleasant.Elizabeth contracted whooping cough in Scotland, which was described as rather ‘unromantic.‘King George’s CharacteristicsFrom boyhood, his authoritarian father, George V, had tormented and degraded the monarch. Prince Albert, Duke of York (as George VI was called before he was king), and his mother, Queen Mary, had held him at length. Read on to learn more!He was brought up with a deep lack of self-confidence, which not only prompted him to stutter so severely publicly that he became incomprehensible on occasions but also pushed him into obtuse and unexpected rants and raves.Despite being born into a happy family, Prince Albert’s upbringing was marred by medical conditions.He suffered from persistent stomach problems and was ’easily terrified and quite susceptible to tears,’ in addition to his stammer.For most of his childhood, he had to wear remedial splints due to his ‘knock knees.’ According to historian Piers Brendon in ‘The Windsors,’ Queen Elizabeth was compassionate, personable, and astute.She recognized the necessity of projecting a sense of family and stability for the British monarchy.She became the backbone behind the throne, helping turn George VI from a stuttering, apprehensive younger son into a respected and admired king.Despite his infamous health complications, George was a physically active young man. Before becoming king, he even contested in the men’s doubles competition at Wimbledon in 1926.King George’s ReignGet to know about the reign of King George VI.At the time of his death, King George VI was widely loved and respected by an overwhelming majority of his people, and his image has only grown stronger in the subsequent six decades.At Westminster Hall, the funeral procession proceeded.More than 300,000 people flocked to the cathedral to pay their respects to his body, which had been there for three days.It also benefited from the enormous attention generated by the phenomenally popular 2010 film ‘The King’s Speech.‘The film focused on George VI’s sometimes heated engagement with his unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue, confronting directly the subject of the frequently devastating stutter that had followed him for most of his existence.The Second World War shaped the early years of George’s rule. George was legally obliged to help Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s accommodation of Adolf Hitler during the World War.In a message of solidarity, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth defied tradition by allowing access to the famed balcony of Buckingham Palace.The British Empire was ousted from power under the tenure of King George VI, and the Commonwealth was established in its replacement. Consequently, King George became the first Head of the Commonwealth.In the rule of Britain, he had become a highly popular ruler. During the Second World War (1939–1945), he gained fame by staying in Buckingham Palace during the worst days of the bombardment.Even though Buckingham Palace had been attacked multiple times, he stayed, becoming a symbol of rebellion and ’tenacity.‘King George’s FamilyRead ahead to know some facts about the family of King George VI.Queen Mary and King George V had a baby boy; George VI. Edward VIII’s younger brother stepped down from the throne to wed Wallis Simpson, an American.In 1923, George VI wedded Elizabeth, who would be recognized as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, his cherished bride. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was proposed three times by Prince Albert until she accepted.Bowes-Lyon claimed she was just not prepared to make the drastic lifestyle adjustments that follow with becoming a Royal Family member, which is very reasonable.Princess Elizabeth (who later became Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret (1930–2002) were their two children. His elder daughter Elizabeth II followed him as monarch to the throne.On February 6, 1952, King George VI passed away peacefully in his slumber. He was 56 years of age at the time.Princess Elizabeth, his elder daughter, was on a trip in Kenya when she received word of her father’s passing. She traveled back to the United Kingdom to be anointed as Queen Elizabeth II.Did You Know…Before the abandonment, Edward VIII was to be given the throne of King at Westminster Abbey on May 12, 1937. This didn’t happen, but why throw away a nice party prep? Instead, George’s crowning was held on the same day.King George VI determined that Edward had abandoned all claims to royal designations, notably ‘Royal Highness, by relinquishing the throne.‘At the same time, George bestowed the status of ‘Duke of Windsor’ on Edward; it was not permitted to be passed down to his spouse or kids.George VI studied history, civics, and economics at Trinity College in Cambridge under the tutelage of renowned historian RV Laurence.In 1911, King George graduated from the Royal Naval College, Osborne, at the bottom of his group. Despite this, the prince passed to the following stage at Dartmouth’s Royal Navy College.King George VI stuttered and had difficulty speaking. This made several of the royal duties of a ruler, such as giving speeches, incredibly challenging for him to do.Lionel Logue and George VI regularly rehearsed tongue twisters before the important royal address to help him fight his stutter. Until the demise of George, the monarch and his speech therapist remained close.Lionel Logue was so well-liked by the Royal Family for his efforts on the king’s stutter that he continued to communicate with the Queen Mother after the king’s demise.The Queen Mother dispatched royal officials to George’s cremation, exactly one year after his demise. King George VI was also the first ruling British King to visit the United States in 1939.Edward, his brother, had earlier toured the United States as a prince and became a well-known personality.Experts claim George VI’s trip was intended to strengthen a coalition in the face of an impending world war.Still, it was also an opportunity for George to demonstrate that he’s just as attractive as his older sibling.Elizabeth, George’s bride, laid the bouquet upon the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at the marriage.This act was formed in honor of her late brother, Fergus, so every royal bride afterward continued in her footsteps.George nearly lost his leg in 1949 owing to an artery clot in his right leg, causing him to cancel his scheduled trip to Australia and New Zealand.The prince, the second son of eventual King George V, was in the Royal Navy, the Royal Naval Air Service, and the Royal Air Force before going to Trinity College, Cambridge (1919–20).He was made the Duke of York in the year 1920. The title Emperor of India was last used by George in the form of the Ruler of Britain.After British India’s partition into independent states of India and Pakistan in 1947, he adopted the designations King of India and King of Pakistan.Though he relinquished the crown of King of India when India became a republic in 1950, he continued using the title of King of Pakistan till his demise.
Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor was conceived in York Cottage, Sandringham House, on December 14, 1895, and died on February 6, 1952.
