George 6, King of England, lived a long and very exciting, but hard life. He was born into this world not for the throne, and when he had to take the post of ruler, he was very upset. This material will tell about the difficult fate of the monarch, who did not like his work.
Family History
King George 6 of Great Britain belongs to the Windsor dynasty. It was started by the previous monarch, the father of the aforementioned ruler. Thus, he tried to get rid of the German root in the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family. The changes were caused by the First World War, when the Quarter Alliance became the enemy of England, where Germany occupied a significant niche.
During the unrest and changes in the political elite, many monarchic families suffered. Tsars, kings and princes were thrown off their thrones, killed. However, the British court elite managed not only to remain in ruling positions, but also to strengthen their status.
During the First World War, power in the country belonged to George 5.
He was the youngest son of King Edward 7 and second in line to the throne. But his older brother did not live to see the coronation, so in 1911 George 5 headed the state. His wife was the potential bride of the deceased, Mary of Teck, with whom he became close after the funeral. At the royalThe couple had six children. The firstborn was Edward 8. A year after him, on December 14, 1895, the second son and future king, George 6, was born.
People's favorites
The family did not live very happily. The monarch was madly in love with his wife Maria. But the children did not receive the necessary parental affection and attention.
Contemporaries called the sovereign an illiterate, rude and callous person. He devoted all his free time to his favorite hunting and collecting stamps. But when the First World War broke out, he went to the front. His older sons also served in the army.
The wife of King George 5, Mary of Teck, during the wartime, categorically forbade the use of alcohol at court. In fact, this dry law did not affect the financial side of life, but it was of great importance for the whole people.
The First Lady noted that the aristocrats will support their subjects in a harsh time and share the pain and poverty of war with ordinary people. While her husband and sons Edward 8 and George 6 fought, she worked in a hospital. Along with her, the ruler brought other ladies of the court. When one of the young ladies stated that she was tired, the queen told her: "The elite of Britain does not know exhaustion and loves hospitals."
Parental indifference
King George 5 received a military education and spent his entire childhood in the Navy. He was sure that in order for the heirs to grow up as respectable and courageous people, they need a strict upbringing.
The Queen also devoted some time to her own children. Mary of Teck alsospoiled with love and tenderness. The girl was the eldest in the family and often took care of her younger brothers. The parents of the crumbs took her with them to orphanages, hospitals and hospitals. Therefore, from childhood she realized the importance of humanitarian work. She did not abandon this mission when she became queen. Maria gave her own children to be raised by nannies and governesses. She saw them twice a week. Consequently, George 6, like his brothers and sisters, grew up without parental affection.
Some of the couple's offspring were marked by terrible, immoral behavior. So, for example, the third son, Henry, used drugs and was a homosexual. The fourth child, George - Duke of Kent, was addicted to alcohol. And the youngest boy, John, suffered from epilepsy, and his parents sent him away from the yard. The child died alone.
Tough childhood
In aristocratic families, children are brought up by nannies and servants. This fate did not bypass George 6, who was named Albert at birth. After it turned out that the baby was fed poorly. Because of this, the boy developed an ulcer. He often had nervous breakdowns. Later, the child began to stutter. Instead of treatment and a comforting word, the father mimicked his son, and this made him even more vulnerable.
The mother did not differ in kindness either. Once it seemed to her that the boy had crooked legs. The limbs were inserted into special iron tires, which were supposed to correct the defect. Such treatment was pointless, hard and painful.
Besides, George wrote only with his left hand 6. Biography, especiallychildhood of the king, consisted of failures and disappointments. But later, left-handedness contributed to his sporting achievements.
Sometimes children did not see their parents for half a year. Business trips and a cold English character prevented them from getting close. But the prince received warmth from grandfather Edward 7. The children loved this man, he reciprocated.
Later, a layman teacher was hired for the two eldest sons. Little Albert tried to study, but he could not master science. The kid had no inclinations to study foreign languages either.
Nevertheless, by order of the parents, the children entered the naval school. With low grades, but the prince still began to study.
Severe youth
But instead of turning from a boy into a confident man, as his father wanted, the child felt even more insecure. Albert was laughed at by his peers because of his stuttering and poor grades, and this aggravated the disease even more. Therefore, he constantly studied extra lessons.
But the teachers said that the young man endured all the suffering in silence and never complained. He had a clear mind and good manners. But not everything was so sad. There are documents confirming that the boy was once punished for setting off fireworks in the toilet.
After training, he was given a job as a simple worker on a ship. Nobody there knew about its origin. For her 18th birthday, the Queen sent cigarettes as a gift. So Albert developed a habit, from which George 6 subsequently suffered greatly. England began the war withGermany in 1914. The young soldier was ready to fight, but his he alth failed him. Acute gastritis. Doctors forbade the young man to continue his naval service, but in 1915 he returned to the ship.
The son's military merit made his father proud of him. The king became warmer. Further, Albert, again at the insistence of George 5, mastered aerobatics. Then he received additional education at the best universities in the country. Science was difficult, but over the years of study, the prince realized that his family should be the standard of morality.
In 1920 he was given the title of Duke. By the age of 24, he was a man of his word, honest and respectable. The war divided the rich and the poor. While his family was doing charity work, the prince set up the production of trams, buses, and elevators. By these actions, he earned great support from the people.
Lady of the Heart
It was during this period that the Duke met the love of his life.
His chosen one was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The girl came from an ancient and respectable Scottish aristocratic family. She received an excellent home education and was distinguished by a strong and kind character. The couple met at a ball. The future wife of George 6 immediately won the heart of the prince. After a while, he made her the first offer. But got rejected. She explained her action by the fact that she was afraid of the responsibility of the royal family.
Elizabeth was very popular among gentlemen. She was not particularly beautiful. But her smile, the ability to sympathize and keep up the conversation disarmed. Then George 6 said that he did not wantanother woman to be his wife. The Queen became interested in Elizabeth, met her and realized that this lady would actually make her son happy.
In 1922, a man in love again offered the beauty a hand and a heart and was again refused. Nevertheless, later the girl realized that there was a lot in common between them. They both wanted to help the world and asked for nothing in return. The wedding took place in 1923, on April 26. Young spouses traveled for a long time through their possessions. Their love and respect for each other was boundless. The couple immediately became a model of the family.
April 21, 1926 their first daughter was born. Four years later, the couple welcomed their second girl.
Scandal in the family as a path to the throne
On January 20, 1936, the king died, his eldest son Edward 8 took his place. This man was called weak-willed, short-sighted, overly feminine, but at the same time he was often led by fits of rage. There were also rumors that he had specific sexual preferences. He was noticed in the company of homosexuals. Often on the hunt, which was arranged by Edward 8 and George 6 in their territories, the elder brother dabbled in drugs.
The aristocratic family and the chosen one of the potential king did not appreciate it. He fell in love with an American who was not only brought up in the wrong, depraved conditions, but was also divorced twice. At that time, it was unacceptable to enter into an alliance with a woman who had already been married.
His future wife, Wallis Simpson, was a strong, masculine woman. She like hercompanion nobleman, admired fascism and Hitler's propaganda, which were in vogue in the 1930s. Such hobbies were one of the main reasons why the prince was forced to abdicate.
For a long time, relatives tried to influence the heir. But he stood his ground. Therefore, the queen mother, Mary of Teck, realizing that a bad ruler would come out of her eldest son, she herself pushed him to abdicate the throne. Marrying a divorced woman was a great chance to save the country from a bad monarch. In turn, the sane and calm youngest son took the throne. The coronation of George 6 took place almost immediately after the elimination of Edward 8.
A heavy burden
When Albert found out that his brother had abdicated and that he should now do this work, he fell very ill. I spent several days in my room and did not even want to talk to anyone.
It seemed that now his life, which flowed so well with his beloved woman and children, would change. But Britain had no one else to rely on. Therefore, Albert began to prepare for an important mission.
His brother abdicated December 11, 1936. The next day, Albert Frederick Arthur took the throne - that was the real name of George 6. But he did not like the name, so he asked him to be crowned differently.
The ceremony took place in May. He, like his father in his time, had to take the throne after his brother. But unlike his father, Albert had no one to consult on this matter. He was not ready for the role of the monarch.
But his wife was born to be a queen. All her life they said about her: “The one thatsmiles,” because she had no equal in kindness and mercy.
A born diplomat
Previously, Elizabeth 1 and George 6 did not perform in public. But new responsibilities made me master the art of oratory. If the speech did not bring trouble to the queen, then for a stutterer, public events became a real torture. The wife began to struggle with this problem long before the coronation. In order to get rid of the speech defect, an Austrian amateur doctor, Lionel Logu, was invited. He worked with the Duke for several hours a day. Further work was continued by Elizabeth. And Albert himself controlled his words. Therefore, the efforts of three people gave significant results. In the family circle, the man almost did not stutter. But the commotion again broke the speech.
The pre-war reign of George 6 was characterized by moderation. The first and main task of the new ruler was to restore the faith of the people in the morality of the aristocratic elite. The father was not exemplary, but still his son adored him. That is why I took his name. He, like George 5, was restrained in his actions and words. The new Prime Minister Chamberlain sympathized with the ruler, so trust and mutual assistance immediately arose between them.
Preparing for a possible war, the aristocratic couple made a lot of successful business visits. The whole world was waiting for them to visit. Presidents, ministers, emperors received spouses from Britain.
Post-war years
When England declared war on Germany, the king spoke on the radio. His speech was brilliant. Since then, it has become a symbol of the struggle of the people forfreedom.
Due to the behavior of Edward 8, the position of the imperial family was shaken. But King George 6 corrected the situation. He received special respect and recognition of the people during the Second World War. When Britain was threatened with occupation, the entire Windsor family waited out the bombing in the cellars of their castles. Thanks to this brave step, the people were proud of the royal family. Albert was constantly at the front, learning to shoot.
After the war, the empire collapsed. But the Commonwe alth of Nations appeared. The monarch did an excellent job, which he did not like. He was disciplined, prudent and intelligent. He passed on these qualities of character to his children.
In 1947, the king reluctantly gave permission for the marriage of the daughter of Elizabeth II with Prince Philip. According to the father, the gentleman was unworthy of the hand of his beloved girl.
The passion for cigarettes played a cruel joke and turned into lung cancer. On February 6, 1952, at the age of 56, the king died. His eldest daughter ascended the throne, ruling the country to this day. The wife survived her husband by 50 years and died at the age of 101.
The reign of George 6 is rightfully considered one of the best periods in the history of England.
