George VI

George VI (1895-1952), King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1936-1952), and emperor of India (1936-1947), of the House of Windsor. George was born at Sandringham House, Norfolk, on December 14, 1895, the second son of George V, and he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Royal Naval College on the Isle of Wight. In 1923 he married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and they had two daughters: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, later Queen Elizabeth II, and Margaret Rose. George succeeded to the throne after the abdication of his elder brother, Edward VIII. Following his coronation in 1937, King George, accompanied by the Queen Elizabeth, began a series of state goodwill visits, travelling to France in 1937 and to Canada and the United States in 1939. These visits were interrupted by World War II, during which the king visited many fronts in Europe, but were resumed in 1947, when the royal family spent several months in South Africa. In the last three years of his life, illness prevented any further trips. The reign of George VI was marked by the relinquishment of the title of Emperor of India, following the partition of India in 1947 into Pakistan and India. He died at Sandringham on February 6, 1952, and was succeeded by Elizabeth II.