George VI: the unexpected King who reshaped the British Monarchy

The death of George VI, on February 6th 1952, was unexpected and caused a wave of grief that would have been hard to predict when this shy man became king just sixteen years before.  

King George, who was 56 at the time of his death, had been unwell and had looked unwell for some time.  But the news that he had passed away sent those he had ruled into shock – perhaps because he had won such huge affection in his comparatively short reign.  On the day he became king there weren’t many who thought his name would rank among the giants of the British monarchy.  But on the day his passing was announced, there weren’t many who would disagree that George VI had been a great king.

George became king against his own wishes on the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, in December 1936.  Edward had been glamourous, handsome, charming and more than at ease among the huge crowds that turned out to see him.  He was hard to outshine and his magnetism only made his younger brother’s awkwardness and shyness more obvious.  And yet it was the second brother to take the throne who won a nation’s love long term.  

In many ways, it was his differences with his more glamourous brother that became his greatest strengths. George VI’s down to earth personality and his determination to overcome many of the issues that made taking on such a high profile role so daunting for him – like his stutter – won him fans.  However, for many of those he unexpectedly ruled, it was his insistence on staying in England during World War II that made him so beloved. On the morning his death was announced, grief really did sweep a nation.

His death was made more poignant by what had turned out to be the last glimpse of the king.  On January 31st, quite clearly ill, he had waved his daughter and heiress goodbye at London Airport as Elizabeth departed on an overseas tour.  Just six days later, and thousands of miles away, Elizabeth would be told that her father was dead and she was now Queen.  

The throne passed silently and without witness between them. Elizabeth II returned to London as Queen with public duties to perform before she could hide behind palace walls and mourn the king that so many grieved.

George VI’s reign was unexpected and, for the man himself, unwanted. But his determination to take on the duty that fell to him so dramatically helped turn him into one of Britain’s most beloved and successful monarchs.