King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

[spiritundaunted]

On this day in royal history, Elizabeth said yes! 💍

"He has wanted to marry Elizth for nearly 3 years, & she had refused him quite steadfastly, but lately I noticed that she liked dancing & talking to him more than anyone else - so when he came suddenly to St Paul's Walden last week I felt pretty certain she wd say yes. She is very happy & he is radiant - & we are (at last) quite happy about it - I like him immensely."

Lady Strathmore (Elizabeth's mother) to her daughter-in-law Lady Christian about Elizabeth's engagement to the Duke of York.

❤️

[george-the-good]

The Duke of York with painter Philip de László at 3 Fitzjohn’s Avenue (de László’s London address), 1933.

Footage: The de László Archive Trust

‘In 1926 de László painted a portrait of George Eastman, who presented him with one of the first hand-held motion picture cameras, the Ciné-Kodak model B, introduced in 1925. From then until de László’s death in 1937, the artist, his sons and his studio assistant, Frederick Harwood, filmed a unique record of his life and work on 16mm film.’

[spiritundaunted]

"A brace of greyhounds...."

"Will you take it back?"

(how cute is Bertie's accent??? 🥹 Love hearing his voice.)

Shortly after being crowned in 1937, King George VI toured the Duchy of Cornwall, making his state entry into Launceston Castle where he was welcomed with age-old ceremonial affairs and presented with "feudal dues" - including the likes of "one hundred shillings and a pound of pepper" and "a brace of greyhounds", after which the gently voiced king asked politely "will you take it back?"

His smile and giggle at the end though! Oh Bertie!

British Pathe

[spiritundaunted]

Duke & Duchess of York in Congo 1925. (future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth)

[behindthecrowns]

Photo of a very young Queen Elisabeth with her parents, 1927 circa

[george-the-good]

The Duke of York plants an oak tree during his stay at Mona Vale in Tasmania, Australia, April 1927.

With him are his host, Mr Eustace Cameron (left) and Equerry, Lieutenant-Commander Colin Buist.

The tree had grown from an acorn which had dropped from the large oak which was planted by the Duke of Edinburgh when he visited Mona Vale in 1868.

[george-the-good]

KING GEORGE VI in the grounds of Royal Lodge, Windsor, c.1930s

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FOOTAGE: Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen (BBC, 2022)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

💙👑💙

[george-the-good]

The King’s death is a cruel and sad blow to us all but the knowledge that thousands, even millions, are sharing our sorrow is a great comfort - For his sake one is so thankful he had those last few happy weeks in his beloved Sandringham.

Princess Mary, letter to Lord Middleton // 29 March 1952

[spiritundaunted]

For me, the most fun thing about this clip is not just how she looks at him - which is precious - but the way he looks back at her when she catches his eye- “well, hello!” 🥰

[ilovetheroyals1]

Eyesex. 🤣

[spiritundaunted]

“Queen Elizabeth and the King were always together. I remember one Easter, I was just knocking a ball about the golf course when I spotted them walking quietly together, totally at ease. There was a terrific sweetness about them. He had an elegance - an elegance of mind. After he died, there was a huge gap. It was a terrible loss and it was never quite the same again.”

Sir Oliver Millar, GCVO, Surveyor Emeritus of the Queen’s Pictures and member of the royal household for 41 years

[george-the-good]

KING GEORGE VI and QUEEN ELIZABETH with Canadian Prime Minister MACKENZIE KING in Banff, Canada, 1939

What impressed me most when I found the King shaking my hand and looking at me was the blend of amiability and good sense in his face. It was a kindly and sincere face and also a face that looked very familiar. He has large blue eyes, a generous mouth and thick light brown hair, with a lock just above his forehead that has a way of blowing down over his eyes so that he has to push it back when he stands bareheaded in the open air as he so often does.

- Francis Stevens, Leader-Post reporter who met the King during the Canadian tour

[george-the-good]

He was a good judge of people, very observant and discerning, though perhaps inclined to be over-frank in his summing up of them.

Osbert Sitwell on George VI (Rat Week: An Essay on the Abdication)

[george-the-good]

Queen Mary and King George VI, c.1946-47

[george-the-good]

The King said to me rather bitterly this morning that Winston had come back from his Italian holiday looking a new man, and that while Ministers out of office always got such opportunities for recuperation, he never did. To that, I am afraid, the only possible answer is on the lines of il faut souffrir pour étre belle. It is a melancholy but inescapable fact that the Pope of Rome and the King of England are almost the only two human beings who can never expect a complete holiday until they reach the grave. Even the King’s private secretary can count on being allowed to go into honourable retirement some day.

- George VI’s Private Secretary, Alan ‘Tommy’ Lascelles, diary entry, 26 October 1945 (King’s Counsellor: Abdication and War - The Diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles)

[george-the-good]

King George VI, Buckingham Palace, April 1948. Portrait by Baron - one of a series taken to commemorate the Silver Wedding anniversary of the King and Queen.

[spiritundaunted]

The Duke & Duchess of York enjoy a cable car ride at the British Empire Exhibit in 1925

Aw, they look like they are having fun! 🥰

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"It's such a lovely day, I do wish you were here duckie..." -- Duchess of York to the Duke in 1930 when they were briefly separated after Princess Margaret was born and he had to go to Balmoral while she stayed at Glamis.

(Duckie!!!!!!! 💕💕💕)

ok, so I know this cable car looks more like a chicken or a seagull but had to get the "duckie" quote in there! :)