George VI, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetGeorge VI
King of the United Kingdom
Date of Birth: 14-Dec-1895
Place of Birth: York Cottage, England, United Kingdom
Date of Death: 06-Feb-1952
Profession: monarch
Nationality: United Kingdom
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius 
About 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.
- He became known as a symbol of British determination to win the Second World War against Germany.
- Known as "Bertie" among his family and close friends, George VI was born in the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria and was named after his great-grandfather Albert, Prince Consort.
- 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 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 had speech therapy for a stammer, which he never fully overcame. George's elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936.
- However, Edward was forced to choose between the crown and marriage to divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.
- With the abdication of Edward to marry Simpson, George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor. From 1939, the British Empire and Commonwealth – except Ireland – declared war on Nazi Germany.
- War with the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively.
- The king and his family remained in London during the Blitz and his popularity soared as he shared the hardships of the common people.
- Britain and its allies were victorious in 1945, but the British Empire declined.
- Ireland had largely broken away, followed by 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 of coronary thrombosis in 1952.
- He was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.
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License: PD US no notice 1989
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