MAY 12

King George VI was born Albert Frederick Arthur George Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on December 14, 1895.  He was the second son of Prince George and Mary of Teck, and his great-grandmother was the sitting Queen of England, Victoria.  His grandfather Edward VII, became King of England in 1901, and his father George V, inherited the crown in 1910. 

Albert, or "Bertie" as he was called by his family, was never supposed to be King of England.  That job fell to his older brother Edward, who became King in January, 1936, after their father died.  But King Edward VIII had a problem - he was in love....with an American, who was in the process of getting divorced from her second husband.  This was scandalous!  The King was told that he must choose between love and country. Edward chose love with Wallis Simpson, and abdicated the throne on December 11, 1936.  The two married in 1937 and stayed together until his death in 1972.

Bertie was now King of England.  He chose to be called King George VI, and served in the role of King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, until his death on February 6, 1952.  George VI provided steady leadership through WWII, and overcame his personal struggle with stuttering while he was King.

His daughter Elizabeth was the Queen of England until her death at the age of 96, on September 8, 2022. She was the longest serving monarch in Britain's history, having served 70 years and 214 days. Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, held the longest reigning title until 2015, having served 63 years, 7 months, and 2 days. 

Queen Elizabeth's son Charles was coronated King on May 6, 2023, in an elaborate ceremony.