King George VI

Albert Fredrick Arthur George was born on December 14, 1895 to the future King George V and Queen Mary who was born a Princess of Teck. It was the anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria's husband Albert the Prince Consort, his great-grandfather, so it was obvious that his name would start with Albert. He had a nervous stammer, possibly because his father made him write with his right hand when he was a lefty. His great-grandson seams to have inherited his left-handedness.

Brother of King Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor), Mary the Princess Royal (aka Victoria, 1897-1965), Prince Henry (Duke of Gloucester), Prince George (Duke of Kent), and Prince John (1905-1919)

Born as "His Highness". In Queen Victoria decided children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the higher rank of Royal Highness. In 1917 his father, George V, decided all members of the British Royal family should be His/Her Royal Highness.

In 1923 he was created Duke of York, and married The Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother), the daughter of the Earl of Strathmore.

In 1926 they had their first child, a daughter named Elizabeth, and four years later another daughter named Margaret.

In the late 1930s he was seen as being supportive of appeasement. He would have preferred Lord Halifax to replace Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister in May 1940.

Albert's father died in January 1936, making his brother King Edward VIII.

He abdicated in December 1936 to marry a twice-divorced American woman, putting England in a crisis. Albert then became King George VI, after his father, and his wife became Queen Elizabeth. His first act as King was to make his brother the Duke of Windsor. A few years later World War II broke out, but the royal family stayed in Buckingham Palace even after it was bombed.

On the 13th of September in 1940, King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, were in Buckingham Palace when the building was struck by a Luftwaffe bomb. Notwithstanding a worker's death and few injured servants, the royal couple fortunately escaped unharmed.

He ceased to be Emperor of India when the country achieved independence on 15 August 1947, although he did not officially relinquish the title until 22 June 1948.

Grandchildren: 'Prince Charles' (b. 14 November 1948), Princess Anne (b. 12 August 1950), Prince Andrew (b. 19 February 1960), David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (b. 3 November 1961), Prince Prince Edward (b. 10 March 1964) and Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Mrs Daniel Chatto (b. 1 May 1964).

He officially ceased to be King of Ireland when the country left the Commonwealth on 18 April 1949 and officially became a republic.

During his schooling years at the Royal Navy College, Osborne he graduated 68th out of 68th in his final examinations.

Great-grandchildren: Peter Philips (b. 15 November 1977), Zara Philips (b. 15 May 1981), Prince William (b. 21 June 1982), Prince Harry (b. 15 September 1984), Princess Beatrice of York (b. 8 August 1988), Princess Eugenie of York (b. 23 March 1990) ,Lady Louise Windsor (b. 8 November 2003) and Viscount Severn James Windsor (b. 17 December 2007).

Portrayed by Colin Firth in The King's Speech (2010).

His present for his 18th birthday from his mother Queen Mary was a gold cigarette case.