The Leader Hierarchy In United Kingdom: The Success Behind King George VI

King George was a British King who served during the 2nd World War. Besides being a king, George was a symbolic leader who was later succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II.

In his life, King George VI was a conscientious and dedicated leader who worked hard on his role to lead the people. Reserved by nature and his religious belief, King George VI in his ruling, his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was her helper.

He achieved many things in his life but his greatest was realized during World War II. According to the Royal report, they said that King George VI remained at Buckingham Palace most of the time. However, this place had been bombed nine times when the war was going on. Moreover, together with his wife, they used to visit those severely bomber areas especially at the East End of London. That is how King George VI was able to garner great popularity in the country as the Royal reported.

Here, we discuss

• Early Life and Family of King George VI
• King Geroge VI Relinquishing “Emperor Of India” Title
• King George VI Legacy

Early life and Family

• King George VI was born as Albert Frederic Arthur George on 14th December 1985 in England at a place called Norfolk. As a young man, he was called ” Albert”, within his family, as a future king he was known as “Bertie” and through England, he was referred to as “His Highness Prince.”
• In 1937, he was crowned as United Kingdom’s king. During the war, King George VI used to support Winston Churchill where he used to visit armies at the battlefronts according to Britannica’s report.
• He was the second son of his parents King George V (father) and his mother Victoria May. His youthful life was not that easy. Besides being affectionate with his mother, that favor was not returned to him because his father was critical and harsh to him as Biography  reported. As a left-handed man, his tutors were forcing him to use his right hand to write.
• When he was eight years old, the future king developed a stammer. He used to suffer indignity because of wearing leg braces that used to correct his knock knees. As a young man, he often became ill and frightened, and as a prince, he was prone to tantrums and tears. These affected him much even as an adult.

King Geroge VI Relinquishing “Emperor Of India” Title

• George VI did see the way the British Empire was accelerating in dissolution. In 1931, the Statute of Westminster did acknowledge Dominion’s evolution that conformed into separate sovereign states.
• After the Second World War ended, the transformation process from empire to Commonwealth (voluntary association to become independent states) gathered pace. When Clement Attlee was the minister in 1947,  British India divided into two independent Dominions to form India and Pakistan as the History reported.
• That is the time when George relinquished his title as the Emporer of India and that time he became the king of India.
• Later, in 1950, George ceased from becoming the king of India after the country became a republic. During that time, he recognized his new title as the Head of the Commonwealth. However, he still retained the title as the king of Pakistan until he died.
• There are other countries that did leave the Commonwealth such as Palestine (1948), Burma (1948), and the Republic of Ireland (1949).

However, the king and his family had toured in southern Africa in 1947. During that time, the Union of South Africa prime minister was facing a political election and expected to make political capital after the visit. Despite their visit, the History Extra reported that Jan Smuts – the prime minister – did lose the election where the new government had to institute a strict policy regarding racial segregation.

King George VI Legacy

• Despite King George VI’s reluctance to become the king, he was a dedicated and conscientious sovereign. He assumed the throne as the Biography  reported during the time public faith was at the lowest to the monarchy.
• However, he was armed and had strong determination. With the help of his wife, King George VI became the modern monarch during the 20th century.
• In his reign, King George endured many hardships of war. When there was a transition of the empire to Commonwealth nations, he did restore British monarchy’s popularity as History Extra reported.
• He was a dutiful family man. He showed courage and that helped him in the restoration of the monarchy. During the World War II, the George Medal and the George Cross were founded through his suggestion. These were to help recognize the exceptional civilian bravery.
• He was then later awarded by the French government in 1969 the Ordre de la Liberation posthumously reward. He was among the two people who ever received that reward. The other to get such a reward was Churchill in 1946.
• In 1952, King George VI lost his life after getting lung cancer. He was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Final Thought

King George VI was a famous ruler in the United Kingdom since he was crowned in 1937. He still remains as a symbolic leader among the British people because of his contribution during the Second World War. He became a great leader, although, during the war, he supported Winston Churchill throughout the war. As an exceptional leader, he did visit armies while at battlefronts and those areas that had been bombed.

Notwithstanding his symbolic leadership, he dedicated to British people especially during the Second World War, King George’s VI reign was the most important in accelerating British Empire evolution in Commonwealth Nations. He also participated in the postwar transformation of Great Britain to become a welfare state. That made him earn a respect because he scrupulously observed both responsibilities and limitations of the constitutional monarch.

There are no many leaders that can lead their nations as King George VI did. Despite his suffering since childhood, he achieved through a determination to become a great king. Do you think there are many current leaders that can lead to the victory of their nations?