4 Royal Births that Changed the Course of the British Monarchy

The birth of Baby Cambridge garnered much media attention the world over, but whether he'll change the course of the British monarchy or not, we do not know yet, although we expect him to rule as ably as her great-grandma Queen Elizabeth II. Let's take a look back at the royal births who made history and shaped the way the see the British monarchy today.

Elizabeth II, born 1926

Queen Elizabeth II

When Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926, little did everyone know that the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York would one day ascend the British throne. Her uncle David, Prince of Wales, was the most eligible bachelor in the realm and it was hoped he would father a child and heir. But it never happened. He abdicated as King Edward VIII in 1936 and the throne passed on to Elizabeth's father, who reigned as George VI, making her heiress presumptive. Her own shining moment came in 1952, when she succeeded as Queen.
George VI, born 1895

King George VI. Image: Wikimedia Commons

George VI was the second son of George V. Just like her daughter, little was expected of the shy and introvert Bertie to become king one day. But the most unexpected happened in 1936, when as Duke of York, he inherited the throne and saw the British Empire make it through World War II.

George V, born 1864

King George V. Image: Wikimedia Commons

George V was the second son of Albert Edward Prince of Wales, who reigned as Edward VII. When he was born, he was only next to his elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, in line of succession, whose untimely death propelled him as a direct heir to the throne.

Queen Victoria, born 1819

Queen Victoria by Melville. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Queen Victoria's birth, as well as that of two other royal babies, provided the House of Hanover with a brand new generation of heirs, which should have died after the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817. A series of deaths within the royal family, including that of Victoria's father placed her as the heiress presumptive of the ailing King William IV. Her reign ushered the Victorian Age, an era synonymous with the height of British political, economic and maritime rule. Through her children and grandchildren, Victoria populated most of Europe's thrones.

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Royal History: What Price Kings? Justifying the Cost of Monarchy

February 10, 1951 - World War II has long been over, but it seems the British Royal Family is still reeling behind its penny-pinching days. DeWitt Mackenzie, AP Foreign Affairs analyst, can reveal that King George VI is really finding it difficult to make ends it, at least by royal standards. The King's financial situations have really gone so bad that the government "has had to boost his allowance a bit."

The King receives L410,000 a year. During the war years, that would have been worth a little over $2 mn. However, the economic depression nearly halved its value. Likewise, the King has to pay for the upkeep of other members of the Royal Family. While that may sound quite a big income, keeping up the king’s palaces and castles "and all the other trappings that go with the monarchy, including golden coaches with prancing white horses" may prove too much for his coffers to bear.

Thus, Mackenzie raised these questions: "What price royalty? What is the value of a monarch superimposed on a government headed by a prime minister who is the real chief of state?"

The Monarch symbolizes the ties that bind the far-flung domains of the British Commonwealth. It's not the government or the Union Jack that glue all these countries together, but the throne. Mackenzie further explains there is more to the King than sitting as a mere ceremonial figure head. To his people, the King stands "as the symbol of British ideals and way of life." And to think that he himself is not immune to financial difficulties makes his subjects feel that he is indeed one of them.

While prime ministers and cabinets do come and go, the King remains on his throne until the end of his life. When he dies, the home secretary will have to salute his successor with the centuries-old words: "The King is dead, long live the King."

"As a constitutional monarch, the king has no authority to interfere with government," writes Mackenzie. But that does not make him powerless or lacking influence. His Majesty remains the fount of wisdom and more often than not, his prime ministers and Cabinet would seek his words over sensitive issues which they have to tackle. Credit is due to the rigorous training an heir undergoes, which includes an intensive study "of the different branches of the Commonwealth and their peoples."

But should a sovereign ever interfere in the affairs of his government?

It was a common occurrence in the past. In fact Queen Victoria would always make her ideas known to her ministers. Edward VII and George V also did the same. In fact, King George had his own way of thinking. In fact, during the violent days of the General Strike in 1926, the first of its kind in England, warned his home secretary to go easy. In blunt words, he said: "I will not have my people manhandled," in reference to the government's tough actions against the strike. Although this action was considered above the king's constitutional duties, the government took heed of his words.

George VI proclaimed

London, Dec. 12, 1936 (AP)-George VI is proclaimed king today, while Edward VIII sought solace in the foreign land of love that cost him the throne. 

As golden-uniformed heralds moved through foggy London streets in medieval pageantry which twice within the year heralded a new sovereign, the crisis of Edward's abdication passed into history.

With unruffled calm, the British people accepted the melodramatic change of sovereigns and turned from the prince-king they loved so well to his tall, family-loving brother George--but with deep sympathy and a Godspeed to him who found the burden of kingdom too heavy without "the woman I love."

Before the musty battlement of St. James' Palace, proud heralds hailed the new king. Trumpets shrilled as throngs watched the pageantry of centuries ago reenacted. 

Sir George Wollaston, the Garter principal King of Arms, proclaimed:

"Our only lawful and rightful liege lord, George the Sixth, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the seas, defender of the faith, Emperor of India, to whom we all acknowledge all faith and constant obedience with all hearty and humble affection, beseeching God, by whom kings and queens do reign, to bless the royal Prince George VI with long and happy years to reign over us."

Meanwhile, Edward who henceforth will be His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, was speeding across France toward Vienna Austria, to behind self-exile. 

London's day of splendor to pay homage to George VI centered at Charing Cross, at Temple Bar, at the Royal Exchange, and at each place the proclamation was ready. 

Despite the foggy weather, more than 4000 troops marched to line the route from old St. James' to the Royal Exchange in the heart of the city where the pageant of Heralds moved amidst cheers and cries "God Save the King."

One of King George's first acts was to agree no change will occur for the coronation and that it will be held as scheduled May 12. 

Another was to approve the title of Duke of Windsor for his departed brother. 

George ascended to the throne of an empire that has seen changes since the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which left the crown as the only remaining link of empire. 

Some Englishmen lamented today that "the old empire will never be quite the same again."

The new king's day began at St. James' where the deed which proclaimed him rule was drawn up by 300 resplendent accession councilors, and heralds and pursuivants cried out the new monarch was at hand. 

Then, he dispatched messages to the fighting services, now at his command. To the navy, in which he was trained, he pointed out his service with naval units during the World War. 

To the air force he recalled he had served with the independent squadrons in France in 1918. To the army went a similar greeting. 

Prime Minister Baldwin, Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain and other cabinet ministers were present. The archbishops of York and Canterbury as representatives of the English Church completed the assembly. 

Queen Mother Mary watched the whole scene from an upstairs window in Marlborough House. Meanwhile, George's brothers, the dukes of Gloucester and Kent, were with him inside and after the proclamation of his accession he received the greetings and expressions of loyalty from representatives of the dominions. 

After the council meeting, King George walked down the grand staircase, out the palace door and to the cheers of the crowd departed for Buckingham Palace.

Traffic was diverted from the route of the proclamation procession, but downtown London was literally jammed as the proclamations of kingdom were read at St. James', Charing Cross, Temple Bar and the Royal Exchange. 

Edward VIII abdicates

Edward VIII (image from peoplequiz.com)

London, Dec. 10, 1936 (AP)--King Edward VIII abdicated his ancient, mighty throne today. He will marry Wallis Warfield Simpson as a man, not as the monarch. Albert Frederick Arthur George, the tall, 40-year-old Duke of York will rule over the 495-million subjects on the greatest empire on earth.

He will reign as George VI.

In a message from His Majesty the King, signed by his own hand," Capt. Edward Algernon Fitzroy, speaker of the House of Commons, announced the abdication to the House of Commons in which tensions and hysteria were breathing, living things.

Around the globe, through sundown and dawn, to those who bear allegiance to England's king, flashed this message from their sovereign:

"After long and anxious considerations, I have determined to renounce the throne to which I succeeded on the death of my father, and I now am communicating this, my final and irrevocable decision."

Rather than give up the twice-divorced American woman who waited today within the rain-splashed walls of a villa on the Cote D'Azur, in France, balked by state and church in his desire of morganatic marriage, Edward VIII signed this morning the decree of abdication.

The Duke of York, his heir and his other two brothers, the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent, witnessed the historic deed. And the swift machinery to make a new king began throbbing in London and the Kind, through Fitzroy, told the Parliament assembled:

"My mind is up... further delay cannot but be injurious to the people whom I have tried to serve...

"I can only hope that I shall have the understanding of my peoples..."

Edward, with his younger brother, the Duke of Kent, spent the last fateful moments of his reign at the turreted Fort Belvedere, the country retreat which has been the focal point of the empire's drama. Just before the Parliament heard the word of abdication, the new King and the Duke of Gloucester had left Edward's side, to motor in the direction of Windsor.

Tragic Queen Mary had gone to her second son's home in Picadilly Circus while Commons assembled.

And at Villa Lou Viei at Cannes, even before the world knew the truth, Wallis Simpson, through her spokesman-host, Herman Rogers, said flatly that Edward would not join her there.

The drama of the abdication announcement was enacted in the mellow, theatrical light reflected into Commons from the high glass ceiling.

Outside, the fog brought utter darkness. London's streets were as midnight when the fateful word was flashed to the world.

In the Commons chamber, members squeezed into seats and aisles; ambassadors of many countries gazed down in rapt attention; distinguished visitors listened with bated breath.

The actual abdication papers, it was learned, were signed at Fort Belvedere at 10 am today, with the haggard brothers gathered around their sovereign kinsman.

As the signatures were affixed, the flag of the Duchy of Cornwall, which had been flying over the fort since the crisis began, was lowered on its staff.

Then it was raised--an abdications, some thought, that the King might retain the title, Duke of Cornwall.

The House of Lords received the monarch's messages in absolute silence. The galleries were occupied 90 percent by women, their dress and manner as those at a funeral. Mention of Queen Mary brought tears to the eyes of some of the elderly peeress.

Unofficially, it was stated there would be no alteration in coronation plans or the May 12 date.

By abdication, Edward relinquished all his many titles, but it was expected a special dukedom would be created for him.

Whether he will await April 27--the date Mrs. Simpson's decree of divorce from Ernest Aldrich Simpson becomes final--to marry his betrothed, was not known. Many however, though such a delay likely. There has been no move, as yet, to accelerate the time of finality, which may be accomplished only with the assent of the trial court and the King's proctor.

Queen Elizabeth II Looks Back on her Fathers Coronation 75 Years Ago

Queen Elizabeth II, only 11 years, with her mother, Queen Elizabeth (left),
her sister Princess Margaret (right), and King George VI (extreme right)
during his coronation.

May 12, 1937, exactly 75 years ago, Albert, Duke of York, was officially crowned George VI, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Emperor of India.





March 9, 2012, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Parliament, highlighting her Diamond Jubilee celebration. Indeed, exactly 75 years ago, destiny began to unfold for the then 11-year-old Elizabeth: One day, she would become Queen.

King George VI's coronation ceremony

Princess Elizabeth attended her father’s coronation at Westminster Abbey wearing a long dress and train, with her coronet on her head. She joined the procession to the Royal Box. She kept a close eye on her younger sister, Princess Margaret who tossed and turned on her chair and even tried to swing her legs.

She looked “very grave, her little smooth brown head, unadorned, a contrast to all the tiaras’ and how as she passed to her seat, she and her ladies bowed to the Altar ‘and then came a gleam of a smile across her serious face as she saw the two eager little faces looking out at her from the Royal Box,” observed of the wife of the Bishop of Chichester.

The King and Queen rides the Imperial State Coach,

Meanwhile, young Elizabeth records her own accounts of her father’s coronation, writing: ‘I thought it very, very wonderful and I expect the Abbey did too. The arches and beams at the top were covered with a sort of haze of wonder as Papa was crowned, at least I thought so.’

The princess noted that the Archibishop of Canterbury was struggling while trying to put the crown on King George’s head, the king himself was not sure if the archbishop was putting it on the right way.

Thousands of loyal subjects flock the streets to witness the
coronation procession.

Meanwhile, Sir Osbert Sitwell thought the King looked like ‘a medieval missal, grave, white and lean, and went through his duties with the simplicity of movement and gesture of a great actor’, while Cecil Beaton noted that since the King had taken up his duties with such devotion, he had acquired ‘an added beauty and nobility. It is the same metamorphosis that comes to a cinema star. As with his beauty, so his speech. The technical difficulties have been overcome and his voice is solemn, deep and emotional.’

Princess Elizabeth also noted that her grandmother Queen Mary was so moved by the ceremony, although the public never saw this because the Duke of Norfolk edited this part from the final film shown in theaters.

The coronation procession making its progress through
the streets of London.

But just like any other child her age, once all the action and drama were done, Princess Elizabeth got bored and the only thing she was glad about was pointing at the word ‘Finis’ in the service sheet. Queen Mary, too, smiled with relief. The ceremony eventually ended and the Royal Family returned to Buckingham Palace in carriages.  

“Others were less lucky. It poured with rain as the peers left at 4pm. Cars stretched back as far as Lambeth and many gave up waiting. The awning dripped. Peers feared for their robes in the deluge. The Duke of Argyll waited for two-and-a-half hours. The last person left at 9pm,” noted Daily Mail.

The Guilt Writing Set that the Queen Mother Hated

This guilt writing set, which was a gift of King Edward VIII to King George VI
was recently sold during an an auction.

This guilt writing set, once under the possession of King George VI endured the enmity of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

The royal consort, who hated everything about Edward VIII gave the set away. The turquoise gilt writing set was given by the former Edward VIII, then duke of Windsor, shortly after his abdication in 1936. It was engraved with D &W, which stands for David and Wallis. Underneath was inscribed “There, but for the grace of God…”

The set fetched £5,000 and was snapped by a collector in an auction. 

Three Queens and a Funeral: King George VI is Buried

The funeral of King George VI ushered in the era of Queen Elizabeth II. 


Heaven knows what it feels to lose a son, a husband, and a father. After all, He lost His son in the humblest, most painful way. In the dead of that frosty day, Feb. 15, sixty years ago, the sun hid and showed no signs of glistening the day. Mourning, perhaps, but not as hurting, as it did pierce the heart of old Queen Mary, who at 85, herself was nearing the end of her life. To have lost a husband is like losing half of your being, but to see three of your children passed away within your lifetime is too much for a weary heart to bear. For King George VI's wife, Queen Elizabeth, now Queen Mother, losing her dear Bertie meant spending the next 50 years alone, without a husband to share the joys of seeing more grandchildren in the family, or perhaps be ecstatic in seeing them get married and bear her great-grandchildren. For the new queen, Queen Elizabeth II, her father's death meant facing the reality that she is now the Queen to millions of people spread all over the world. On his funeral, Great Britain's three queens gathered to bid adieu to the king who mattered most to their lives.

The iconic photo that captured three generations of queens grieving
on King George VI's funeral.

On Feb. 9, King George's body was transferred to Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state. More than 30,000 people flocked to take a last glimpse of their beloved king. Not even the bitter cold or the cloudy weather stood between the crowd and the solemnity of the event.

Queen Elizabeth, by now Queen Mother, made a call to Clarence House. She had finally bowed to the new sovereign, her daughter. Devastated and in unimaginable sorrow, she however managed to hide her feelings in front of the public. She even managed to send a message to millions of people around the world who shared the sorrow with her: “Your concern for me has upheld me in my sorrow and how proud you have made me by your wonderful tributes to my dear husband, a great and noble King.”

She ended her message with a message requesting the public to continue their love and support to the new queen, just the way they did to her and her husband: “I commend to your our dear daughter: give her your loyalty and devotion; in the great and lonely station to which she has been called. She will need your protection and love. God bless you all; and may He in His wisdom guide us safely to our true destiny of peace and good will. Elizabeth R.”

The message was sent to the press for publication. However, it was noticed that there was an omission. The new queen's husband and her children were not mentioned. Palace officials immediately phoned editors to make the corrections. The part where the queen mother made a reference to the queen should thus be read: “I commend to your our dear daughter: give her your loyalty and devotion; Though blessed in her husband and children, she will need your protection and your love in the great and lonely station to which she has been called.”

The funeral procession for King George VI. The coffin is borne up the steps into
St. George's in Windsor. At the foot of the steps is the coach carrying
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret
and the Princess Royal.

 For the queen's part, she was relieved to see that the 51-year old queen mother refused to dwell in sorrow. In fact, a day after the king's death, she was composed enough to play with her grandchildren. She told an aide, “I have got to start sometime and it is better now than later.”

The funeral, held Feb. 15, was filled with sorrow and anguish. Before the dawn broke, all the roads have already led to London as thousands of the king's subjects gathered together to bid farewell for the wartime monarch. At 8 am, the capital's streets were closed. The king's funeral procession also brought innovation, as it was the first time that a sovereign's funeral was aired on television. At 9 am, the queen, together with the funeral entourage, arrived at Westminster Hall. More than 300,000 people had paid homage to the king while it was laid in state for three years.

Notable during these dark days in the royal family was young Prince Charles who, missing his dear grandpas, asked the queen mother if he would ever come back to play with him. The grandmother hugged her grandson. The three-year-old prince, who at the time emerged as the heir apparent, noticed his nurses in tears said softly: “Don't cry, Granny.”

King George VI's funeral coverage.

King George VI's 16-year reign is over. His daughter is now the reigning queen while the queen mother stepped down to her new post as the second lady in the land. Nevertheless, she still retained her status as queen and she still enjoyed her style as Her Majesty.

Kings, queens, princes, heads of state, and dignitaries from all over the world were all gathered in London to attend the spectacular funeral of the king. Indeed, there are only two instances where the most powerful people in the world have come to converge in the capital, most likely every time when a new sovereign is crowned, when his reign is welcomed in warm reception by his subjects and all the peoples in the world, and when his reign and life folds, when he is brought to his final resting place. It is a sign of the respect that he had earned and the affection of the subjects that he had served so loyally and the people he met while on duty.

The king's coffin was carried along the streets of London, escorted by four princes, his eldest brother, the duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII who abdicated and surrendered the reins of the kingdom to his younger, reluctant brother. This was the first time that the former king had returned to Britain after many years of living in Paris. With him are his younger brother, the duke of Gloucester, nephew duke of Kent, and the queen's husband, the duke of Edinburgh.

One important member of the royal family who did not show up at the funeral was Queen Mary. The cortege passed at Marlborough House though, and as it progressed, the queen mother, the princess royal, and Princess Margaret leaned through the window of the Irish State Coach to take a glimpse of the grieving mother.

 The funeral procession ended at Paddington, where the king's remains were taken to Windsor by train at 12:20 pm.

The king was finally laid to rest at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. A brief service was held, and two minutes of silence was observed to pay final homage to the king, whose presence during the war, however burdensome it was for his part, boosted the country's morale. The coffin was draped in red, blue and gold of the Royal Standard. It was laid with the Imperial State Crown, the Gold Orb, the Sceptre, the Insignia of the Order of the Garter and a wreath of white orchids, white lilies, and white carnation, the queen mother's final gift to her husband as she bid farewell. The card read: “For darling Bertie, from his always loving Elizabeth.”

Almost after the funeral, Queen Elizabeth II and her family moved to Buckingham Palace. The queen mother transferred to Clarence House. She was joined in by Princess Margaret. The royal family settled at the Belgian Suite located at the palace's ground floor. Today, that part is reserved as accommodation for visiting heads of state.

The first important pronouncement that the queen made at the onset of her reign was to declare and clarify her husband's position in the realm. On Sept. 30, it was announced: “The Queen has been graciously pleased by Warrant bearing date the 18^th instant to declare and ordain that His Royal Highness Philip Duke of Edinburgh... shall henceforth upon all occassions... except where otherwise provided by Act of Parliament have, hold and enjoy, Place, Pre-eminence and Precedence next to Her Majesty.”

In effect, the prince would be the second to swear allegiance to Her Majesty on her coronation, after the archbishop of Canterbury.    

Photo Sources and References:

British Broadcasting Center. 1952: King George is Laid to Rest. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/15/newsid_2542000/2542721.stm, retrieved Feb. 10, 2012.

De Souza, R. J. (2012, Feb. 9). Three queens, full of sorrow. National Post, http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Three+queens+full+sorrow/6123990/story.html, retrieved, Feb 10, 2012.

Mount, H. (2012, Feb. 6). Diamond Jubilee – The King is Dead – long live the Queen. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9063122/Diamond-Jubilee-The-King-is-dead-long-live-the-Queen.html, retrieved Feb. 10, 2012

Museum of London. Funeral Procession of King George VI. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Collections-online/object.aspx?objectID=object-767645&start=746&rows=1, retrived Feb. 10, 2012.