February 5 - Death of King George VI

This Day in History: 6 February 2020

 

6 February 1952

 

68 years ago, today, King George VI died in his sleep in Sandringham, after facing a long illness. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king's daughters, was in Kenya when this occurred, and was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953. King George VI had been the second son of King George V, and had ascended to the throne in 1936 after his brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. He had worked to rally the spirits of the British people in World War II, and made a series of morale-boosting radio broadcasts, as he overcame his speech impediment. The King's health deteriorated in 1949, but still he continued to perform his state duties until his death.

 

Queen Elizabeth had been framed ever since a young girl to succeed her father, and married her distant cousin, Philip Mountbatten, in November, 1947, and gave birth to her first son, Prince Charles, the next year. She understood the value of public relations, and allowed her coronation to be televised, despite objections from Winston Churchill. In 2003, the Queen celebrated her 50 years on the throne, the fifth British monarch to do so. However, she was seen as out-of-touch after the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, with Diana's death following shortly afterwards. Today in Britain, the Queen is seen to be a Corgi lover, a symbol of Britain and one of the world's wealthiest women.

 

Want to find out more about the life and death of King George VI? Click here for more information, or watch Netflix's 'The Crown', accounting the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.