George VI
Monarch
1895 – 1952
Who was George VI?
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth.
As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward. He served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during the First World War, and after it took on the usual round of public engagements. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.
George's elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936. However, later that year Edward revealed his desire to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin advised Edward that for political and religious reasons he could not marry a divorced woman and remain king. Edward abdicated in order to marry, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.
During George's reign the break-up of the British Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations accelerated.
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- Born
- Dec 14, 1895
Norfolk - Also known as
- Albert Frederick Arthur George
- His Majesty The King
- Albert Frederick Arthur George Wettin
- Bertie
- King George VI
- Prince Albert
- King George
- Duke of York
- Parents
- Siblings
- Spouses
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
(1923/04/26 - 1952/02/06)
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- Children
- Religion
- Anglicanism
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- India
- Profession
- Education
- Trinity College, Cambridge
(1919/10 - 1920/10)
- Trinity College, Cambridge
- Died
- Feb 6, 1952
Norfolk - Resting place
- St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
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"George VI." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/george_vi_of_the_united_kingdom>.
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