George VI

Acceding to the throne upon his brother's abdication, George VI was immediately confronted with the turmoil in European politics leading up to World War II, then the war itself, followed by a period of austerity, social transformation and loss of Empire. George was unprepared for kingship, suffering from a stammer which could make public occasions very painful for him. Morever, he had grown up in the shadow of his brother, a man who has been idolized as no royal prince has been, before or since. However, this biography shows that although George was not born to be king, he died a great one.