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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.
Queen Elizabeth II wears the Imperial Crown and the Royal Scepter during her coronation in 1953, both containing cuts from the Cullinan Diamond. Click here for more images.
For the first time, all the stunning jewels created from the world’s largest diamond will be collected in public in a unique exhibition at Buckingham Palace as part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Cullinan Diamond, weighing 3,106 carats in its rough state, was first discovered in 1905 at a mine near Pretoria in South Africa. It was originally thrown away as it was thought it to be too large to be a diamond. Once recovered, it was presented to King Edward VII as a gift and cuts were used in the Crown Jewels.
Queen Elizabeth II's favorite, the Girls of Britain tiara, will also be displayed in the exhibit. More images here.
Other cuts were used to make brooches, necklaces and earrings worn by royalty including Queen Elizabeth II throughout her 60-year reign. Seven of the nine cuts of the gem are to go on public display at Buckingham Palace this summer to celebrate the queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Queen Victoria’s small diamond crown, which she worn for her official Diamond Jubilee Portrait, and the Girls of Great Britain tiara, the Queen Elizabeth's favorite tiara will also be showcased in the display.
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 18th 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.
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck, is known today as the Queen Mary's mother. Dubbed as the "people's princess," the Duchess of Teck was one of the earliest royals to support a wide range of charitable organizations.
(left) Portrait of Princess Mary of Cambridge when she was six, painted by Sir Edwin Landseer (1839)
Born in 1822 in Hanover, she was the youngest daughter and child of Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, youngest son of King George III, and of Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel. In 1866, she married Prince Francis, who was later ennobled duke of Teck. They had four children, the eldest being crowned as Queen Mary, consort of King George V of England.
Due to the duchess' extravagant lifestyle, the Teck family was forced to flee England and, from 1883 until 1885, they lived with their relatives in Europe. After their return to England, the duchess of Teck devoted most of his time on phi atrophic causes.
(right) The portrait of Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck by Hermann Schmiechen (1882)
According to James Pope Hennessy’s official biography of Queen Mary, the duchess "gave her patronage to any charity, bazaar or organization which seemed to her genuine and efficiently run. This patronage was never of a merely nominal character: 'When she gave her name, she gave also her time, energy, and thought.' She would herself open all letters addressed to her, decide which were worthy of immediate attention, draft replies and, with her daughter's aid, classify each case in one of her charity ledgers.”
She died in her country home, White Lodge in Richmond Park in 1897.
For more of the duchess of Teck's life and story, see her biography at Suite101.
(above) The duchess of Teck with her daughter, the duchess of York, after the birth of her grandson, the future King Edward VIII, 1894.
