On Friday, December 11, 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson. The abdication came at a crucial time in history, with Hitler and Mussolini allied, and Europe moving toward war. Suddenly Edward's younger brother, Albert, had to assume the throne. At forty-one, the new King faced not only a difficult family crisis, but a skeptical British press and public as well. Though he was sometimes a reluctant monarch, George VI possessed the self-discipline and integrity that his brother lacked. He would reign until his death in 1952, leaving to his eldest daughter, Elizabeth II, a throne more stable than England had known since Victoria ruled. This book is the first truly intimate portrait of the man and his entire family. The author has penetrated the closed circle that surrounds the royal family through archival research in the United States and Britain, the discovery of unpublished diaries and private letters, and extensive interviews. The abdication crisis, the King's leadership during the war, his relationship with Churchill, the unfolding saga of the two brothers, and much more are examined in detail by this biography.… (more)
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This is a 1990 biography of George VI, born Dec 14, 1895, died Feb 6, 1952. I found it absorbing. This book shows that George V's doctors literally killed George V.. The book is quite favorable to George VI and takes his side in the dispute with the Duke of Windsor, but it is easy to see how a partisan of the Duke of
Windsor might make a case that George VI and his wife and Queen Mary were at fault in the whole mess. George VI was an extremely simple person, and had a stammer which bedeviled him all of his life. Some of what this book shows re royalty would make a republican out of many monarchists. One wonders how valuable the monarchy is--it is clearly expensive. This book is written by an English biographer and the prose is a little convoluted. But one couldn't help but find the whole life of great interest though it is clear that George VI is not a great man. (