It was such a sad, gray day in London. I remember it vividly. No one was able to control one's tears and it was like the whole nature was weeping. Long live our most beloved of all Queens!
The King and Queen stayed in Buckingham Palace to "be with the people" The Princesses were moved to Windsor Castle. When the Palace was bombed with the King and Queen inside the Queen mother said she could now look the people of London in the eye. There's a great quote from the Queen mother when the government was pushing for them to be evacuated to Canada 'The children won't leave without me. I won't leave without the King and the King will never leave.' They stood for British resistance.
Cool story about that actually. The Canadian government temporarily declared the hospital room in which she gave birth to be Dutch territory (avoiding citizenship complications). Also, every year the Netherlands sends 20,000 tulips to Ottawa out of gratitude for taking her in and for the massive role Canadians played in the liberation of the Holland. T
That is correct. In Britain, the monarch is the Head of State, and the prime minister is the Head of Government. In America, the president fills both roles.
One of the greatest legacies this remarkable and vastly underrated man left was that he was truly in love with his wife until the day he died, and provided a stable and loving home for his 2 daughters. The more I read about King George VI & Queen Elizabeth ("the Queen Mum") the more I come to admire them. For their grandeur and more importantly their simplicity.
Queen Mary watched from a window as King George VI's funeral cortege passed Marlborough House, her home in the Mall. She died of lung cancer shortly before queen Elizabeth's coronation leaving instructions that the coronation was not to be postponed. A wonderful woman.
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret stayed at Windsor Castle for most of the war, but the King and Queen remained in Buckingham Palace, and would tour the bomb ruins in London to show their solidarity with the people. As Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, said, the princesses would not leave without her, she would not leave without the King, and the King would never go. Whoever wrote that speech for her deserves a decoration!
King George was the people's king and his family was revered. They walked through the bombed out streets and talked to the citizens of London and helped.They could have been killed. The King's Speech is a fair example of the royals being helped to connect with commoners. A man overcoming an affliction to speak to his people and become the king that he never expected to be.
My father was a leading seaman and has the RVM for being part of the gun carriage crew - I have been trying to place him - stop/start the video If only - it would be so wonderful -
We must recall that, except for the young children, all of the people present had lived through the Second World War and remembered the London Blitz. Unlike some European monarchs who fled to save their own skin, the King and his family remained in London, and every morning, it was a great boost to morale to see the Royal Standard flying from Buckingham Palace. God Save The King. May he rest in peace.
@RichardElden George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 - 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was 56.
May my dear distant cousin rest in peace. He has led the great kingdom of Britain through WWII and got to see it end. At least he lived a good life and was a good ruler of the British throne.
@popazz1 The actual quote is traced to Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI, when HM was asked if the Royal Family intended to send Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to the safety of Canada (as many upper-class parents were doing during the Blitz). Queen Elizabeth's reply was almost Churchillian: "The children cannot go without me; I cannot go without the King - and the King will NEVER leave." This is just one example of why Hitler called Queen Elizabeth,"the most dangerous woman in Europe"!
@chatham43 You are absolutely correct. The King, the Queen, and their daughters remained in England during the war, and by doing so, they boosted morale tremendously. The Queen famously said that the princesses would not leave without her, she would not leave without the King, and the King would never leave. Bravo!
@tktru Sadly, the stress of the war and years of chain-smoking caught up with him. Part of the reason the abdication crisis was supposedly such a painful memory for the Queen Mother (and why she asked the "King's Speech" writer not to make the film during her lifetime) was her (probably correct) belief that assuming the throne hastened his death.
King George VI smoke for years like a chimney. It was pretty obvious to many people that when Princess Elizabeth left for Kenya in 1952 that she might not see her Father alive again. If you look at clips of him waving his daughter goodbye you may be shocked to realise that this is a man of only 52! Sad.
@TheCommunard 2) Many current historians think the entire Revolution could have been delayed - IF the British had made it possible for the Colonies to have representation in Parliament. Many Americans don't realise how many Colonists stayed loyal to Britain and the King; the ties between us were that strong, as was demonstrated by the number of "Loyalists" who left for Canada post-Revolution. The Revolution did have the air of a civil war for many Colonists, on both sides.
Buckingham Palace had its bunkers. Their Majesties the King and Queen were almost killed on one occasion where the King asked his Queen to remove an eye lash when a 'red alert' was called.
@jojobug45 Yes she did attend the funeral ... I remember there is at least one photo that shows HM Queen Elizabeth II, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and HM Queen Mary ... the first time that three Queens had been photographed together.
according to my grandmother (no longer here), my grandad who i never met was one of the soldiers carrying the coffin. shame i can't find out anymore information about it.
No the Royal Family stayed in Buckingham Palace during WW2 but they were taken to Windsor Castle in Berkshire every evening to save them from night time German bombing raids.
Okay, I believe you. I don't believe I read it in a history book, but heard it from somebody. Why did the Royal Family choose to stay in London? Were the Germans aware that the King & Queen were in Buckingham Palace at the time of the Battle of Britain in 1940? If they did, I figure Buckingham Palace would have been an easily visible target from the air.
@KittyAllChainedUp , Isn't that what I said,lol? I did actually type,"the queen,(as in queen mother to be),.....I didn't quote verbatim the entire dialogue simply due to space constraints.
Poor Elizabeth that would of been hard for her to be proclaimed queen as well as loosing her father but of course she would of known since her childhood when her father became king that a day would come like this when she would be queen and succeed her father because she was his eldest child and his heir
@324wilson Yes, he was. People who think that the modern monarchy is irrelevant should read the story of George VI and learn how a man of great character and purpose made the monarchy the anchor that held a nation together in its time of greatest peril.
@sklig1975 famous queen mother speech when asked by a memmber of the press will she leave britain when germany was ready to invade..she said "The kids will not go if i wont go,i wont go if the king wont go and the king wont go"
@jojobug45 ...yes..she was....Queen Mary of Teck....and she did attend.....along with the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret and Queen Elizabeth(Queen Mother to be).......
"God Save the King." : ) The British people will have my eternal respect for their courage and resiliency in WWII. For a people known as being peaceful and friendly, they showed incredible bravery when needed. One question I still have is how did the Royal Family survive the intense bombing campaign of London by the Germans? Surely Buckingham Palace must have been a very visible target from the air? Were they moved to a secret location?
@nativetexancga I was making the point that the Royal Family fought in the War in the 1930's and 40's unlike the Bush Family of the last several years. This was in response to a critic of our former King
Christian X? Who rode out amongst the people of Copenhagen with no bodyguard, and told a Nazi soldier, "I don't need any, the whole of Denmark is my bodyguard?" Great man.
king George V1 was a past grand master of the grand lodge of scotland.he loved scotland and the scots.his mother was scots and he aswell as our queen can trace their bloodline back to the ancient kings of scotland
The Germans did target Buckingham Palace as a specific hit and the Palace was damaged by bombing during the war. They also targeted the Houses of Parliament and succeeded in completely destroying the chamber of the House of Commons.
Unfortunately, I no longer have access to the comment to which I replied. However, I can guarantee you it was in the defence of the monarchy and George VI, much the same as your comments. I would be glad to defend it if I could, however, the comment will no longer show.
@kyldy What then? The monarchy continues. It is the one constant in British history and there will always be someone to defend it. Even Cromwell was effectively a King in all but name and title.
If I have been rude it is because of the incivility shown to me. My original post was to correct someone who called Queen Mary, Queen Mary of Teck. Why you felt it neccessary to say what you did is beyond me. It had no bearing on what was being discussed. A motto is a brief statement expressing a principle, goal or ideal as such my name tag cannot be described as one. However you are right (a novelty for you) it is latin.
Did he live down the the local tube station when his house got blown to bits i doubt it AND he was well protected in his bomb shelter and other monarchs had little choice as their countries were overrun and a few years before a certain monarch refused entry to his Russian cousin and his family we all know what happened to them so perfect were they.
They NEVER left the country, Buckingham Palace was bombed more than once when the King and Queen were still there. Your history books have missed a whole load of details.
I never claimed that she was "Queen Mary of Teck" - I simply wrote that she was also known as "Mary of Teck" - you're rudeness does you no credit and your arrogance (Latin motto indeed) is self evident.
@krissykicksass thats not the right one this george lived in the 1900s the king george who ruled america was in the 1700s ove 200 years ago. That and you cant blame that king george he was like 16 years old
The narrator's pronunciation sounds absurd to modern ears but it wouldn't have done at the time. Our language, amongst many other things has changed in the intervening years.
In her pleasant programme on Buckingham Palace, Fiona Bruce used the following words when introducing the wife of King George lll ....... "Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz" clearly, Charlotte was not Queen of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wording simply identifying her place of origin. This pattern parallels to my reference to the wife of King George V. Now go away, I'm sure nanny is looking for you.
Can it really be considered pedantry to ask that something is called its correct name? Is this how far learning has fallen? Are we happy to be ignorant and to criticise those who stick their head above the parapet and say this is wrong? Is it really aceptable to pass opinion as fact rather than base opinion on fact? In a world of mass communication shouldn't we teach everyone the value of communication?
His government had protected the colonies from French and Indian attack. You were being asked to help pay for that defence. The 'difficulty' could have been averted had it not been for the likes of Thomas Paine and French interference. Sadly for the French assisting the rebelling colonists bankrupted the French State.
@theredraven Queen Mary was at the funeral. there is a very poiginet photo of three queems. Mary the mother of the Kind. Our dear queen mother the widow and our wonderful queen the daughter. sad and when we lose her then what?
Queen Mary was at the lying in state but not the funeral service at St. George's chapel. It was a very cold day and she didn't feel well enough to attend. She watched the procession from Westminster Hall to Paddington Station from her home, Marlborough House.
Sorry, but you have been misinformed. As Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) famously remarked, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave." You must be thinking of the Dutch royal family. Queen Wilhelmina fled to London, and her daughter, Juliana, went to Ottawa, where she gave birth to a child.
@TheCommunard Of course we know we're taxed, LMFAO!!!! But now we pay taxes legislated by men and women we have elected. The rallying cry concerning the tea, stamp, and sugar taxes did not have to do with unwillingness to pay taxes, but rather about these taxes being levied by British legislators without representatives from the American Colonies. That's the heart of the matter at the time of the Boston Tea Party: No taxation without representation. (CONTINUED)
@sklig1975 The only one who went on a ship was Prince Philip- and that was because he was on active duty in the Navy. Queen-consort Elizabeth said "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave." They wer einside Buckingham palace when it was bombed and the Queen said she was glad because she "could look the East End in the face. Hitler also called her the most dangerous woman in Europe. Stop trying to tell lies.
Perhaps the Rhodesians joined the war against Hitler because: a) they didn't have the benefit of hindsight and b) they hadn't illegally declared UDI. As for South Africans needing visas - could have something to do with the apartheid years. The IRA is not supported by the government of the Republic of Ireland - we have no quarrel with Dublin and Irish people are free to travel into the UK without passports.
