Death of King George VI

[zimnaya]

Unlike the people of Russia and of France, it is not the custom of the English to apply epithets or sobriquets to their sovereigns although some of the earlier Plantangenets are exceptions. If it were the custom then surely King George would be known as "the Great & Good" because that is what he truly was.

[Whitbywatcher]

When the time comes, all British tv and radio stations will close down as a mark of respect, and quite right too - our Queen has dedicated her whole life to the service of this nation and the other nations where she is head of state, she has never put a foot wrong, never been controversial, always acted with the utmost dignity, she represents everything that is good and decent.

[silverstartrucker]

Now in 2011 the BBC would not be able to shut down in the event of the death of whoever...times have changed...

[cinkmoot]

I went to Treetops in 1998 and 2000 and went to see the room where she spent the night. It's really expensive to get that room per night.

[HalfBornUnicornFetus]

Im a American. I love our Republic, I love our system (I hate our Presodent lol) but I hold the same respect for the British Royal Family as a British citizen does. They are not only our allies, but, despite no reagal title, or name, that holds claim to America, Queen Elizabeth is our Queen in our hearts....

[arsovatiticus]

@HalfBornUnicornFetus A vast number of British people have no respect for the Royal family and monarchy

[418sadeyes]

I loved the way a gentleman, at 04:32, stands at attention...He has a light-colored coat on, and the moment King George's coffin comes even with him, he snaps at attention...VERY respectfull!!

[TheSirRoberto]

I think the whole of GB should shut down and show respect when HM Queen Elizabeth II dies like in this video of HM King Goerge VI.

[ElijahsImpact]

@TheSirRoberto It won't happen though. I'm not hugely into the Royal family but I agree with you, but I don't think it will happen.

[paulinesmith44]

Charles should not become King as he divorced and married a divorcee, was that not the reason that edward abdicated ?? And i see we have richard eldon the youtube parasite troll visiting and polluting sites with his crap again. poor guy needs a life. he has nothing better to do than troll YT sites spewing nonsense and hatred, Ignore him guys , he's all over YT .

[daisybtoes]

@RichardElden I'll never agree to that. Both Hitler and Stalin had the blood of millions of people on their hands.

[daisybtoes]

@RichardElden Why would you say a thing like that? Stalin and Hitler were two sides of the coin, and both of them were Evil Incarnater.

[enricodow]

long life the king

[DamEllSunny]

George "keep the engines running where off to canada once a jackboot touches a english beach" VI

[whatsgoingonthen]

their was talk that edward the 8th was collaberating with the nazis, after looking at his ugly mug, dare i say it could be true what do you think?

[whatsgoingonthen]

@RichardElden never mind theirs plenty more spongering royals, to take his place a whole long line , endless you might say dont you think?

[whatsgoingonthen]

@whatsgoingonthen well their you the uk just created another royal parasite named kate anyway im sure she will go on to give birth to plenty more parasites and drain the uk dry, just look at queen victoria she married her first cousin and went on to drop 9 poncing parasites

[islandsylph]

Edward's abdication was the best move for the Royal Family, so that George could be placed on the throne. He and his family stayed in London during the war, never leaving behind the people who were being bombed. He was one of their great monarchs and I doubt there will be another like him. Very sad that he smoked so much that he passed away too early as a result.

[burnley5960]

@islandsylph He was a fine King and a great loss

[hh2fan]

@RichardElden Um, excuse me!? I stand by my opinion thanks.

[hh2fan]

George VI was a very great man in history.

[masbiensuramerica]

LOL 00:09

[halfam]

@masbiensuramerica How is that funny? Because he is colored?

[popazz1]

@RichardElden ,Er,yes,I believe that's what I said!

[popazz1]

Whilst I'm not a monarchist,(& I don't say that to be merely contentious),should the queen enjoy the longevity which her mother did,& given that Charles is in his 60s,it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that he will acsend the throne when he's in his 70's/80s,which as far as I'm aware no monarch has ever done.But,monarch he will become as the order of succession dictates.William will be mature enough then to assume his place on the throne,should monarchy survive!

[jhr459]

@RichardElden That's not entirely true. She does have some power in the case of a constitutional crises. Her real power, however, lies in her approval rating which, like our president's, goes up and down. In a time when her rating is high, she can utilize her rather large 'bully pulpit' to sway public opinion, which in turn sways Parliament. So, although her power is indirect, it really isn't true that she has NO power

[brahmin21]

he once fell from his horse and members of the royal household were quoted as saying things like "it would have been better for Britain had he broken his bloody neck"....

MI6/Masonic Lodge could not hold up George 6th as a comparable “emblem” of breeding and strength to match the Lion and the Unicorn..........so I think he was slowly poisoned like some kind of Shakespearean tragedy

[observerking]

@brahmin21 How dark. Still a great King of the people!

[Redeagle52000]

@observerking That IS dark. I can't imagine that it would be true but who knows? He was very beloved by ALL of the people from the common people and came to be respected by the nobility, was close to Winston Churchill (as close as could be without showing party favortism), and was equally respected by the Labour Party. Had led the nation as constitutional Head of State through the latter part of the Great Depression and the worst crisis in its history, World War II: I cannot imagine a plot. But?

[Redeagle52000]

@brahmin21 Are you guessing based on the utterances of a few very cruel people, or were there actual "conspiracy theories" such as the "JFK Conspiracy Theories" that abound? [Hard to believe that JFK was sworn in but one decade later than the death of King George VI]. I feel that Queen Elizabeth has been a good Monarch from her coronation to the present day, but can't imagine what any faction would have had to gain from hastening her to the throne prematurely?

[WhiteShep22]

@brahmin21 It was his brother Edward VIII that this quote is about, falling off his horse. No one wanted "David" to remain as King and wanted him out and Bertie to succeed him including his mother. That is why this quote appeared from an official. George VI was the one that they wanted, including his father and mother to be King and a very good one he was. Courageous and steadfast and his daughter has continued that nobility.

[ksol1460tv]

@WhiteShep22 David was a creep. After Johnny died (the nice brother that had epilepsy) he wrote a letter to his girlfriend and as much as said good riddance. He said Johnny was nothing but an animal and he didn't want to go into mourning because he'd miss parties and so forth. Who wants a guy like that running things?

[daisybtoes]

@ksol1460tv When I was little, people spoke of the "romantic" story of the Duke and Duchess of Winsor. But everything I have since learned about him is that he couldn't have done the Crown, the country and the Empire a bigger favor than abdicating his throne. He was a closet Nazi, he was manipulated by an adventuress, and was just a Bad King in general. He was also a weak, unpleasanr human being.

[bjr43]

Amazing films, where'd you find them? I'm certain he was an amazing ruler.

[juanm35mm]

I'm sorry, I'm not english. Could someone explain to me how this monarchy-parlament works?? Do you vote or anythng like that?? Who writes the laws?? It would be very helpful, thanks :)

[ksol1460tv]

@juanm35mm The people elect the House of Commons. The House of Lords is hereditary. These two sides together are Parliament and decide the laws, like our House of Rep. and Senate. The King or Queen is there more to set an example, come out for worthy causes, almost like what the First Lady does in the U.S., but also work with the Prime Minister who is the highest elected person. If the King/Queen has any political ideas or opinions he/she tells the Prime Minister. That's how it works.

[yeovil50]

@RichardElden ...Pinch of salt again:)

[yeovil50]

@RichardElden Your opinion and entitled to it...however being as your only 18 and still a kid I will take it with a pinch of salt and will wait until you grow up before taking anything you say seriously. However thanks for making me smile:)

[yeovil50]

One of our greatest Monarchs - I have just watched the King's Speech, and made me dealth a little bit further into George VI and really makes me proud to be British . Those that do not want a monarchy anymore have no idea, how important the monarchy is to our national identity.

[Hamilton7776]

@yeovil50 I agree with you 100 percent. We have such a republican media that we hardly ever hear the good things about the Monarchy. Did you know for instance that Prince Albert (Husband of Queen Victoria) was President of the Society for the extinction of Slavery, child work Laws and Dueling, while most politicians where Pro-slavery.

[arsovatiticus]

@yeovil50 This is the 21st century - the monarchy is an acronistic relic - a parasitic useless institution which is propped up by the vast retinue of supporters within the system. We should take a leaf from the French. Get rid of it along with all the system that supports inherited privilege.

[mkh4n]

I would love to see William as the king.

But to be honest what would the monarch do?

What power do they hold.

But it would be heart breaking moment to hear queen is no more. She has fulfilled he duty.

[robert3302]

@mkh4n When the Queen passes, Charles becomes King. William will not become King until Charles is gone. The succession is not a popularity contest. It is an enormous, complex job which the Queen has performed with great steadfastness and devotion for nearly sixty years. It is not about power; it is about responsibility and devotion. It is better for William and the country that he not succeed to the throne until he is much older.

[sunnymarky]

so how can Charles be King , He cannot marry a divorced woman, or is it ok to have a mistress? He should relinquish his Right as King and William should be King

[baraxor]

@sunnymarky

The law says that Charles will be king on the death of his mother, period. The only possible difficulty posed by Camilla would be if the Archbishop of Canterbury refused to crown him, but that is (a) highly unlikely, (b) pointless if any other bishop wants to crown him (e.g. the Bishop of Carlisle was the only prelate willing to crown the "heretic/illegitimate" Elizabeth I) and (c) useless because a coronation is not required by law to maintain the crown.

[phabbiola]

speech therapistsssss? no, no. Lionel Logue!

[popazz1]

@RichardElden ,

Oops,my mistake,lol.But even he had his mistresses all over the shop,so yet another PoW!

[popazz1]

@RichardElden ,

You clearly know your stuff! I think there seems to be thread running through the history of Princes of Wales.Playboys who can't keep it in their pants,lol.Early film footage of E VIII as PoW shows him surrounded by adoring 'fans',& his popularity appears to have carried far & wide throughout the empire & further afield.I guess it was his association with 'that woman' which tarnished his image & polarised opinion.Love or duty,eh?! Fascinating stuff!

[popazz1]

@RichardEldin,Agreed re:Elizabeth's succession,though had Edward remained King then E II would have succeeded much later in all likelihood.And,I'm not too sure about Charles being as popular as E VII,unless you say that with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek,lol.

[popazz1]

@edj66,

You speak good sense.I'm in a quandry as whilst I'm not a monarchist,per se,neither am I convinced by republicanism.As for William,well unless something apocalyptic happens,it's unlikely I'll live to see him become king! We shall see,I guess.

[popazz1]

@RicharElden,

simply because the very idea of monarchy seems to be weakening,if we look at the opinion of vast swathes of the commonwealth! And,the difference is the queen wasn't expecting to 'inherit' the throne,only the abdication changed that.Charles,as heir apparent,IS expecting to succeed his mother.I agree,monarchy IS more than just one person,but to the many,many who come to visit the UK,monarchy DOES mean the Queen! I think Elizabeth II will be the last popular monarch!

[edj66]

@popazz1 Hmm. Let's see how the next ones do first. It's difficult to judge because we've had the same monarch for so long. A different monarch will have a different approach to things, and it remains to be seen whether that will work in their favour. I think for instance that William may well be a very good king.

[popazz1]

The image of the 3 women wearing their mourning clothes is still as moving now as it was then! King George would be so very proud of how his daughter took on the role as monarch! I'm not a royalist/monarchist but I can respect how Elizabeth II has maintained her quiet dignity and selfless service to her people.I suspect the monarchy will weaken once she is no longer with us.

[wlhardy]

Albert may have never wanted to be king but fate decreed otherwise & he did a great job! I think it would have happened anyway, as Edward VIII was too flaky & only seemed to care about himself & not the country he was supposed to serve. Plus I doubt he would have left any heirs, so the throne would have eventually been passed down to his niece, Elizabeth. I have a lot of respect for George VI--he faced his fears & insecurities & overcame them.

[cathi76]

Such a sweet moment at 1:43 where Elizabeth brushes his hair off her father's forehead!

[WinchesterRanger]

Bow your heads in solemn respect peasants, one of your betters just died.

[uchihasurvival]

0:10 that kid is a slave because his cloths are in bad shape and he doesnt have shoes! damn u selfish humains how could think of puttin kids as slaves!

[hh2fan]

He was such a great king! In fact, the perfect 'family of four' was indeed very perfect! Very good looking family too.

[islandsylph]

@hh2fan I agree. They had class and classical features. Americans are just used to people wearing hoards of makeup to look artificial.

[kimptdarr22]

queen mary was not well enought to attend the funeral and watched from a window at clarence house.she died the following year 3 months before the queens coronation.

[HotVoodooWitch]

This would be a lot better if someone hadn't taken it upon himself to stretch the image horizontally. Fake widescreen...yecch.

[plagalcadenze]

Shame this was made in the wrong ratio! This is presented in widescreen when it was clearly 4:3 ratio (old screen size). Otherwise a good video.

[winksta0]

The coverage of this is dignified and respectful,today it would probably have been hosted by jonathon ross,with claim compensation ad breaks every 2 mins.

[julia393n]

@winksta0 Oh yes, and remember the wailing of the mourners at Diana's funeral? Compare that to how silent and dignified everyone was there.

[bjr43]

Amazing.

[mc0558]

During the war, the focus of our loyalty was the King and Queen, not Churchill. Churchill himself described his role as giving the roar to the British lion. The people respected him for that--he put words to their determination to fight the war on all fronts and win (despite the government's often inept leadership. But the people never needed to be rallied; they were determined to win whatever the costs from the very beginning, and their leader was HM The King.

[tezman1990]

Queen Mary was the wife of George V, and grandmother to Queen Elizabeth II

[mc0558]

A wonderful husband, wise and loving father, devoted and courageous monarch. God bless him!

[alans724]

The secret of Englands Greatness.

God Save Our Glorious Queen Elizabeth II

[FrankClanton]

George VI smoked 40 cigarettes a day.

[ViniciusFiocco]

He was a chimney?

[JuanMacready]

Smoking caused the deaths of Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI.

[julia393n]

@JuanMacready and probably Princess Margaret

[periperigord]

George V1 didn't want to be king! Alas, because his fun-loving older brother shirked his duty he was forced into it. He did a brilliant job considering he was so terribly shy, had a stutter which handicapped him, and hadn't been brought up to be king. But Fate thought otherwise. History could have been so different.........!

[PeterFirthFan]

Actually, Edward VIII was forced out because he wasn't prepared to be a constitutional monarch.

[PeterFirthFan]

Both George VI and Queen Mary died of lung cancer.

[gaiuskaiser]

Very moving

[prowlifik]

you brits are crazy, the queen and her band of inbreds are so out of tuch with the needs of the people, ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL. iam glad that my founding fathers got this right 230 years ago.

[PeterFirthFan]

George III was the last truly great monarch because he had real power and interfered in politics all the time.

[voxfox1991]

the british monarch has a sence of duty to the nation and its people and swears a blood oath at the coronation to serve the people as long as he/she may live.

they marry the country and swear there allegiance to it and its people.

what would you americans know about duty and sacrifice.

[theredraven]

And yet the US segregated people of different colour.

So much for "all men are created equal".

[lesababy]

@prowlifik yeah but it took a civil war, reconstruction and the civil rights movement for that statement to come to fruition.

[dinyar65]

He was a Great King

[PeterFirthFan]

How?

[RICHIEPR63]

From the books I have read about him, he was a throughly good king and decent man.

For those who knock our Queen, would you prefer President Blair or Brown or Mandelson?

God help us!

[PeterFirthFan]

George VI was an irrelevance, just like the Queen.

[s1conrad]

He was a very humble man and monarch. He saw Britain through the darkest days of the Blitz. Bless him!

[edwina22]

Nothing better than eradicating parasites.

[PeterFirthFan]

George VI smoked 40 cigarettes a day.

[TheHonTeddy]

"During these last months the King walked with death as if death were a companion, an acquaintance whom he recognized and did not fear. In the end death came as a friend, and after a happy day of sunshine and sport, and after "good night" to those who loved him best, he fell asleep as every man or woman who strives to fear God and nothing else in the world may hope to do."

Winston Churchill (whose wreath at the king's funeral contained the messager 'For Valour')

[mts1977]

A great man. And a great King.

[videotape1987]

The best King England has ever had

[britstarfan]

i doubt the BBC or any other radio/tv station would close down down these days as a sign of respect ( they didn't close down for the Queen mothers funeral)

[lewismurray1]

she was the mother of the queen, this guy is the man in charge

[Hosea22]

Though Britain and its allies were ultimately victorious, the United States and the Soviet Union rose as pre-eminent world powers and the British Empire declined. With the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, and the foundation of the Republic of Ireland in 1949, George's reign saw the acceleration of the break-up of the Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations.

[beefkilla]

its better off that way if u ask me, just look at the state of the "american empire" today!

[Hosea22]

Within twenty-four hours of his accession the Irish parliament, the Oireachtas, passed the External Relations Act, which essentially removed the power of the monarch in Ireland. Further events greatly altered the position of the monarchy during his reign: three years after his accession, his realms, except Ireland, were at war with Nazi Germany. In the next two years, war with Italy and the Empire of Japan followed.

[Hosea22]

By reason of this abdication, unique in the history of the British Isles (previous abdications were forced by military or political pressures), George VI ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.

[Hosea22]

George's elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII on the death of their father in 1936. However, less than a year later Edward revealed his desire to marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. For political and religious reasons, the British Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, advised Edward that he could not marry Mrs. Simpson and remain king. So, Edward abdicated in order to marry.

[Hosea22]

As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward. He served in the Royal Navy during World War I, and after the war took on the usual round of public engagements. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth (who succeeded him as Queen Elizabeth II) and Margaret.

[Hosea22]

George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 - 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India (until 1947), the last King of Ireland (until 1949), and the first Head of the Commonwealth.

[suffolkpunch74]

my comment was in reply to PeopleofBritain by the way.

[mc0558]

He led us so well in the war. His and the Queen's bravery, faith in victory, closeness to the people, to those who suffered, to our fighting men and women and to foreign leaders were an inspiration. He was dutiful and royal; he was down-to-earth and genuine. He was a most wonderful King. We loved him then and still do. His Most Excellent Majesty, King George VI of happy memory.

[watershipdown2008]

He was a great king and he was happiest as a family man. A moving glimpse into history.

[PeopleOfBritain]

A very great King who will always be missed.

But did you know that George VI was only actually buried in 2002 when the Queen mother died. It was so they could be buired together.

[USNCUBUFF]

Really? That is very interesting. I had know idea. George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth are indeed one of my favorite couples of all time. A wonderful man and woman.

[USNCUBUFF]

Sorry, the "Really?" was to PeopleofBritian's statement about the burial.

[suffolkpunch74]

Are you sure?

I always assumed that King George was buried in his chapel at windsor in 52, and the Queen Mother was inturned next to him when she died?

[Streatham1966]

Back on your knees. Leave the arguments to people with some self-respect.

[Streatham1966]

And to think that almost 60 years on we still have the parasitism of a monarchy. One day perhaps the British people will grow up.

[joeslicer001]

keep these opinion for your self! :)

[oldhank2003]

The last person to see him alive was Lyon Mackenzie King (Gov. Gen. of Canada). Between his death and the Queens Crowning L.M.King implimented tne indian act on 6 nations indian reserve. His heinous dealings are null & void. because da Royals are the only ones who can change our treaties.(with our approval of course. Not honouring Royal treaties is setting up another banana republic.

[mc0558]

The King led us through the Second World War. He shared all the dangers. He and the Queen carried out their duties with enormous grace and courage.

To my mind, he was one of the greatest men to occupy the British throne.

[324wilson]

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!!

[titusmountjoy]

That was surprisingly moving.  Thanks for posting.

[Mistypok]

Where is Queen Mary?

[terrykuok2007]

the wife of George V

King George VI's mother

[Glyndwr65]

Good question. She is not shown in this film though I seem to recall a photograph of her in mourning along with the two Queens Elizabeth - presumeably at the funeral.

[BlackSheep87]

I'm not sure where she is here. But I know she died the next year.

[ibagli]

She was at Westminster Hall for the arrival of the King's body (which is where the famous picture was taken). She was too unwell to attend the funeral service in Windsor, and watched the procession from Westminster to Paddington travel down The Mall from a window at Marlborough House.

[jupitermoon10011]

@Glyndwr65 Yes indeed, that's a famous photograph. 'Twas the Year of Three Queens: Queen Mary (RIP), Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (RIP), and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Long may She reign).

[Edmund24]

@Glyndwr65 I think Queen Mary met them at Westminster hall where the famous photo of the three queens was taken

[Wlodarek]

@Mistypok When George VI died, Queen mary was 85 and her own health had begun to decline. While she accompanied the other two queens to the lyin-in at We4stminster Hall, she was unable to attend the actual funeral. She was able to watch the procession as it passed her home at Marlborough House, however.

[89plainsman]

@Mistypok If I'm not mistaken, she was dying of lung cancer around this time...so I don't imagine she made many appearances.

[grizzelpuss]

The photo of the three Queens in mourning is from the funeral.

[abzocke]

King George VI its very best!!!

[DaveHorse1]

A true hero!

[ibagli]

She wasn't. She was only Queen by virtue of her marriage to King George VI. She never abdicated as she had no throne.

[labz77]

Fascinating. Thank you for posting.