George VI (14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952, succeeding Edward VIII and preceding Elizabeth II.
Biography[]
George was born in Sandringham, Norfolk on 14 December 1895, the second child of George V and Mary of Teck. He served in the Royal Navy from 1909 to 1917 and in the Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1919. He was never expected to become King, but was thrust into the position when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated; in developing his public profile, he had to overcome a serious speech impediment. He would have preferred Lord Halifax to replace Neville Chamberlain in 1940, but was soon impressed by Winston Churchill. His main impact on the war was to boost public morale by remaining in London during The Blitz, with his wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and his daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. He created the George Cross and the George Medal to acknowledge the bravery of civilians. Following World War II, Britain lost most of its colonies, and he relinquished the title Emperor of India in June 1948; that same year, Ireland formally declared itself a republic, and it left the Commonwealth a year later. In 1950, India became a republic, and George assumed the title "Head of the Commonwealth". He died in 1952 at the age of 56 from a tumor.