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| father = [[George V]]
| mother = [[Mary of Teck]]
| religion = [[Protestantism in the United Kingdom|Protestant]]{{Efn|name=religion|As monarch, George VI was [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]]. He was also a member of the [[Church of Scotland]].|group=fn}}
| signature = George VI signature 1945.svg
| signature_alt = George's signature in black ink
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| battles = {{tree list}}
* First World War
** [[Battle of Jutland]]{{tree list/end}}
| module = {{Listen |embed=yes
| title = King George VI's voice
| filename = King George VI's VE Day speech.ogg
| type = speech
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The future George VI was born during the reign of his great-grandmother [[Queen Victoria]]; he was named Albert at birth after his great-grandfather [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] and was known as "Bertie" to his family and close friends. His father ascended the throne as [[George V]] in 1910. As the second son of the king, Albert was not expected to inherit the throne. He spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, [[Edward VIII|Edward]], the [[heir apparent]]. Albert 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 [[Wedding of Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|married]] [[Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]] in 1923, and they had two daughters, [[Elizabeth II|Elizabeth]] and [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Margaret]]. In the mid-1920s, he engaged speech therapist [[Lionel Logue]] to treat his [[stutter]], which he learned to manage to some degree. His elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII after [[Death and state funeral of George V|their father died]] in 1936, but [[Abdication of Edward VIII|Edward abdicated]] later that year to marry the twice-divorced American socialite [[Wallis Simpson]]. As [[heir presumptive]] to Edward VIII, Albert became king, taking the [[regnal name]] George VI.
In September 1939, the [[British Empire]] and most Commonwealth countries—[[Irish neutrality during World War II|but not Ireland]]—[[World War II|declared war]] on [[Nazi Germany]], following the [[invasion of Poland]]. War with the [[Kingdom of Italy]] and the [[Empire of Japan]] followed in 1940 and 1941, respectively. George VI was seen as sharing the hardships of the common people and his popularity soared. [[Buckingham Palace]] was bombed during [[the Blitz]] while the King and Queen were there, and his younger brother [[Prince George, Duke of Kent|the Duke of Kent]] was killed on active service. George became known as a symbol of British determination to win the war. [[Allies of World War II|Britain and its allies]] were victorious in 1945, but the British Empire declined. Ireland had [[Adoption of the Constitution of Ireland|largely broken away]], followed by the [[Indian Independence Act 1947|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 at [[Sandringham House]], aged 56, of a [[coronary thrombosis]]
==Early life==
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In February 1918 Albert was appointed Officer in Charge of Boys at the [[Royal Naval Air Service]]'s training establishment at [[RAF Cranwell|Cranwell]]. With the establishment of the [[Royal Air Force]] Albert transferred from the Royal Navy to the Royal Air Force.<ref>Bradford, p. 72</ref> He served as Officer Commanding Number 4 Squadron of the Boys' Wing at Cranwell until August 1918,<ref>Bradford, pp. 73–74</ref> before reporting for duty on the staff of the [[RAF's Cadet Brigade]] at [[St Leonards-on-Sea]] and then at [[Shorncliffe Army Camp|Shorncliffe]].<ref>{{citation |last=Darbyshire |first=Taylor |date=1929 |title=The Duke of York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4rSAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Hutchinson & Company Limited |page=51 |mode=cs2 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=17 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417211057/https://books.google.com/books?id=N4rSAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> He completed a fortnight's training and took command of a squadron on the Cadet Wing.<ref>Wheeler-Bennett, p. 115</ref> He was the first member of the British royal family to be certified as a fully qualified pilot.<ref>Judd, p. 45; Rhodes James, p. 91</ref>
Albert wanted to serve on the Continent while the war was still in progress and welcomed a posting to [[General Trenchard]]'s staff in France. On 23 October, he flew across the Channel to [[Autigny, Seine-Maritime|Autigny]].<ref>Wheeler-Bennett, p. 116</ref> For the closing weeks of the war, he served on the staff of the RAF's [[Independent Air Force]] at its headquarters in [[Nancy, France]].<ref>{{citation |last= Boyle |first= Andrew |author-link= Andrew Boyle (journalist) |title= Trenchard Man of Vision |year= 1962 |publisher= Collins |location= St James's Place London |page= 360|chapter= Chapter 13}}</ref> Following the disbanding of the Independent Air Force in November 1918, he remained on the Continent for two months as an RAF staff officer until posted back to Britain.<ref>Judd, p. 44</ref> He accompanied
In October 1919, Albert attended [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], where he studied history, economics and civics for a year,<ref>Judd, p. 47; Wheeler-Bennett, pp. 128–131</ref> with the historian [[Reginald Vere Laurence|R. V. Laurence]] as his "official mentor".<ref>Wheeler-Bennett, p. 128</ref> On 4 June 1920 his father created him [[Duke of York]], [[Earl of Inverness]] and [[Baron Killarney]].<ref>Weir, p. 329</ref> He began to take on more royal duties. He represented his father and toured coal mines, factories, and railyards. Through such visits he acquired the nickname of the "Industrial Prince".<ref>''Current Biography 1942'', p. 280; Judd, p. 72; Townsend, p. 59</ref> His stutter, and his embarrassment over it, together with a tendency to shyness, caused him to appear less confident in public than his older brother, Edward. However, he was physically active and enjoyed playing tennis. He played at [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] in the [[1926 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles|Men's Doubles]] with [[Louis Greig]] in 1926, losing in the first round.<ref>Judd, p. 52</ref> He developed an interest in working conditions, and was president of the [[Industrial Welfare Society]]. His series of annual summer camps for boys between 1921 and 1939 brought together boys from different social backgrounds.<ref>Judd, pp. 77–86; Rhodes James, p. 97</ref>
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From December 1924 to April 1925, the Duke and Duchess toured [[Kenya Colony|Kenya]], [[Uganda Protectorate|Uganda]], and the [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Sudan]], travelling via the [[Suez Canal]] and [[Aden]]. During the trip, they both went [[big-game hunting]].<ref>Judd, pp. 89–93</ref>
Because of his stutter, Albert dreaded public speaking.<ref>Judd, p. 49</ref> After his closing speech at the [[British Empire Exhibition]] at [[Wembley]] on 31 October 1925, one which was an ordeal for both him and his listeners,<ref>Judd, pp. 93–97; Rhodes James, p. 97</ref> he began to see [[Lionel Logue]], an Australian-born speech therapist. The Duke and Logue practised breathing exercises, and the Duchess rehearsed with him patiently.<ref>Judd, p. 98; Rhodes James, p. 98</ref> Subsequently, he was able to speak with less hesitation.<ref>''Current Biography 1942'', pp. 294–295; Judd, p. 99</ref> With his delivery improved, Albert opened the new [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in [[Canberra]], Australia, during a tour of the empire with
The Duke and Duchess had two children: [[Elizabeth II|Elizabeth]] (the future Elizabeth II, called "Lilibet" by the family
==Reign==
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[[File:1 crown George VI 1937.png|thumb|[[Crown (British coin)|Crown coin]] with George in profile, 1937]]
[[File:Coronation of H.M. George VI and Queen Elizabeth.jpg|thumb|222x222px|Painting of the Coronation in 1937]]
Albert assumed the [[regnal name]] "George VI" to emphasise continuity with his father and restore confidence in the monarchy.<ref>Howarth, p. 66; Judd, p. 141</ref> The beginning of George VI's reign was taken up by questions surrounding his predecessor and brother, whose titles, style and position were uncertain. He had been introduced as "His Royal Highness Prince Edward" for the abdication broadcast,<ref>Judd, p. 144; Sinclair, p. 224</ref> but George VI felt that by abdicating and renouncing the succession, Edward had lost the right to bear royal titles, including "Royal Highness".<ref>Howarth, p. 143</ref> In settling the issue, George's first act as king was to confer upon
[[File:Radio Times - 1937-05-07 - front cover - Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson.png|thumb|upright|Cover of the 7 May 1937 edition of ''[[Radio Times]]'', drawn by [[C. R. W. Nevinson]], marking the first coronation to be broadcast, and partially televised, live ]]
[[George VI's coronation]] at Westminster Abbey took place on 12 May 1937, the date previously intended for [[Abandoned coronation of Edward VIII|Edward's coronation]]. In a break with tradition, Queen Mary attended the ceremony in a show of support for her son.<ref>Bradford, p. 214</ref> There was no [[durbar (court)|Durbar]] held in Delhi for George VI, as had occurred for his father, as the cost would have been a burden to the [[British Raj|Government of India]].<ref>Vickers, p. 175</ref> Rising [[Indian independence movement|Indian nationalism]] made the welcome that the royal party would have received likely to be muted at best,<ref>Bradford, p. 209</ref> and a prolonged absence from Britain would have been undesirable in the tense period before the Second World War. Two overseas tours were undertaken, to France and to North America, both of which promised greater strategic advantages in the event of war.<ref>Bradford, pp. 269, 281</ref>
The growing likelihood of war in Europe dominated the early reign of George VI. The King was constitutionally bound to support British prime minister [[Neville Chamberlain]]'s [[appeasement]] of [[Hitler]].<ref name="matthew"/><ref>Sinclair, p. 230</ref> When the King and Queen greeted Chamberlain on his return from negotiating the [[Munich Agreement]] in 1938, they invited him to appear on the balcony of [[Buckingham Palace]] with them. This public association of the monarchy with a politician was exceptional, as balcony appearances were traditionally restricted to the royal family.<ref name="matthew" /> While broadly popular among the general public, Chamberlain's policy towards Hitler was the subject of some opposition in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]], which led historian and politician [[John Grigg]] to describe George's behaviour in associating himself so prominently with a politician as "the most unconstitutional act by a British sovereign in the present century".<ref>[[Hitchens, Christopher]] (1 April 2002), [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/01/queenmother.monarchy9 "Mourning will be brief"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043217/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/01/queenmother.monarchy9 |date=28 October 2017 }}, ''The Guardian'', retrieved 1 May 2009</ref>
[[File:FDR-George-VI-Potomac-June-9-1939-2-detail-crop.jpg|thumb|[[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin]] and [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, on the [[USS Potomac (AG-25)|USS ''Potomac'']], 9 June 1939]]
In May and June 1939, the [[1939 royal tour of Canada|King and Queen toured Canada]] and the United States; it was the first visit of a reigning British monarch to North America, although George had been to Canada prior to his accession. From [[Ottawa]], George and Elizabeth were accompanied by Canadian prime minister [[Mackenzie King]],<ref>{{citation| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/king/023011-1070.06-e.html| last=Library and Archives Canada| author-link=Library and Archives Canada| title=Biography and People > A Real Companion and Friend > Behind the Diary > Politics, Themes, and Events from King's Life > The Royal Tour of 1939| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=12 December 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030064730/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/king/023011-1070.06-e.html| archive-date=30 October 2009| df=dmy-all}}</ref> to present themselves in North America as [[King and Queen of Canada]].<ref>{{citation| last=Bousfield| first=Arthur| author2=Toffoli, Garry| title=Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada| publisher=Dundurn Press| year=1989| location=Toronto| pages=60, 66| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Go5p_CN8UQC| isbn=978-1-55002-065-6| access-date=21 September 2020| archive-date=18 March 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318025506/https://books.google.com/books?id=1Go5p_CN8UQC| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation| last=Lanctot| first=Gustave| author-link=Gustave Lanctot| title=Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America 1939| publisher=E.P. Taylor Foundation| year=1964| location=Toronto}}</ref> Both Mackenzie King and the Canadian governor general, [[Lord Tweedsmuir]], hoped that George's presence in Canada would demonstrate the principles of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931]], which gave full sovereignty to the [[British Dominions]]. On 19 May, George personally accepted and approved the [[
The trip was intended to soften the strong [[isolationist]] tendencies among the North American public with regard to the developing tensions in Europe. Although the aim of the tour was mainly political, to shore up Atlantic support for the United Kingdom in any future war, the King and Queen were enthusiastically received by the public.<ref>Judd, pp. 163–166; Rhodes James, pp. 154–168; Vickers, p. 187</ref> The fear that George would be compared unfavourably to his predecessor was dispelled.<ref>Bradford, pp. 298–299</ref> They visited the [[1939 New York World's Fair]] and stayed with President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] at the [[White House]] and at [[Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site|his private estate]] at [[Hyde Park, New York]].<ref>''The Times'' Monday, 12 June 1939 p. 12 col. A</ref> A strong bond of friendship was forged between Roosevelt and the royal couple during the tour, which had major significance in the relations between the United States and the United Kingdom through the ensuing war years.<ref>{{citation |last=Swift |first=Will |title=The Roosevelts and the Royals: Franklin and Eleanor, the King and Queen of England, and the Friendship that Changed History |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2004}}</ref><ref>Judd, p. 189; Rhodes James, p. 344</ref>
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===Second World War===
[[File:Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. CH20901.jpg|thumb|King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Elizabeth with RAF personnel during World War II]]
Following the [[German invasion of Poland]] in September 1939, the United Kingdom and the self-governing Dominions [[Irish neutrality during World War II|other than Ireland]] declared war on [[Nazi Germany]].<ref>Judd, pp. 171–172; Townsend, p. 104</ref> The King and Queen resolved to stay in London, despite German [[The Blitz|bombing raids]]. They officially stayed in Buckingham Palace throughout the war, although they usually spent nights at [[Windsor Castle]].<ref>Judd, p. 183; Rhodes James, p. 214</ref> The first night of the Blitz on London, on 7 September 1940, killed about one thousand civilians, mostly in the [[East End]].<ref>{{citation|last=Arnold-Forster|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Arnold-Forster|year=1983|orig-year=1973|title=The World at War|location=London|publisher=Thames Methuen|isbn=978-0-423-00680-3|page=303}}</ref> On 13 September, the couple narrowly avoided death when two German bombs exploded in a courtyard at Buckingham Palace while they were there.<ref>{{citation |last=Churchill |first=Winston |author-link=Winston Churchill |title=The Second World War |publisher=Cassell and Co. Ltd |year=1949 |volume=II |page=334}}</ref> In defiance,
[[File:King George VI with Sir Bernard Montgomery.jpg|thumb|left|With Field Marshal [[Bernard Montgomery]] (right), near the front lines in the Netherlands, October 1944]]
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==Illness and death==
{{main|Death and state funeral of George VI}}
The stress of the war had taken its toll on George's health,<ref>{{citation|publisher=Official website of the British monarchy|title=King George VI|url=https://www.royal.uk/george-vi-r1936-1952|access-date=18 April 2016|date=12 January 2016|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035747/https://www.royal.uk/george-vi-r1936-1952|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Judd, p. 225; Townsend, p. 174</ref> made worse by his heavy [[tobacco smoking|smoking]],<ref>Judd, p. 240</ref> and subsequent development of [[lung cancer]] among other ailments, including [[arteriosclerosis]] and [[Buerger's disease]]. A planned tour of Australia and New Zealand was postponed after George developed an arterial blockage in his right leg, which threatened the loss of the leg and was treated with a right [[lumbar sympathectomy]] in March 1949.<ref>Rhodes James, pp. 314–317</ref> His elder daughter and heir presumptive, Elizabeth, took on more royal duties as her father's health deteriorated. The delayed tour was re-organised, with Princess Elizabeth and her husband, [[Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], taking the place of the King and Queen.
George was well enough to open the [[Festival of Britain]] in May 1951, but on 4 June it was announced that he would need immediate and complete rest for the next four weeks, despite the arrival of [[Haakon VII of Norway]] the following afternoon for an official visit.<ref>{{citation|work=The Times|title=The King to rest|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/archive/article/1951-06-05/4/17.html#start%3D1951-01-01%26end%3D1952-01-01%26terms%3D%22The%20king%22%20AND%20%22lung%22%26back%3D/tto/archive/find/%252522The+king%252522+AND+%252522lung%252522/w:1951-01-01%7E1952-01-01/o:date/2%26prev%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/%252522The+king%252522+AND+%252522lung%252522/w:1951-01-01%7E1952-01-01/o:date/16%26next%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/%252522The+king%252522+AND+%252522lung%252522/w:1951-01-01%7E1952-01-01/o:date/18|date=5 June 1951|access-date=21 December 2021|archive-date=21 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221222826/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/archive/article/1951-06-05/4/17.html#start%3D1951-01-01%26end%3D1952-01-01%26terms%3D%22The%20king%22%20AND%20%22lung%22%26back%3D/tto/archive/find/%252522The+king%252522+AND+%252522lung%252522/w:1951-01-01%7E1952-01-01/o:date/2%26prev%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/%252522The+king%252522+AND+%252522lung%252522/w:1951-01-01%7E1952-01-01/o:date/16%26next%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/%252522The+king%252522+AND+%252522lung%252522/w:1951-01-01%7E1952-01-01/o:date/18|url-status=live}}</ref> On 23 September 1951, [[pneumonectomy|his left lung was removed]] in a surgical operation performed by [[Clement Price Thomas]] after a malignant tumour was found.<ref>Bradford, p. 454; Rhodes James, p. 330</ref> In October 1951, Elizabeth and Philip went on a month-long tour of Canada; the trip had been delayed for a week due to George's illness. At the [[State Opening of Parliament]] in November, the [[Lord Chancellor]], [[Lord Simonds]], read the King's [[speech from the throne]].<ref>Rhodes James, p. 331</ref> The King's [[Royal Christmas Message|Christmas broadcast]] of 1951 was recorded in sections, and then edited together.<ref>Rhodes James, p. 334</ref>
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|image4 =Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (1921–1957).svg
|caption4 =Coat of arms in Canada
|footer =
}}
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|-
| [[Elizabeth II]] || 21 April 1926 || [[8 September 2022]]
| [[Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten|20 November 1947]]
| [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] || [[Charles III]]<br />[[Anne, Princess Royal]]<br />[[Prince Andrew, Duke of York]]<br />[[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh]]
|-
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== Ancestry ==
{{See also|Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark}}
{{ahnentafel
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{{S-aft|after=[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|The Duke of Edinburgh]]}}
{{S-ref|[[British Raj|Indian Empire]] dissolved 15 August 1947. Title abandoned 22 June 1948 ({{London Gazette|issue=38330|page=3647|date=22 June 1948}})}}
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