The story of King George VI and his Queen, Elizabeth, is one of goodness growing into
greatness. In a short reign, just 14 years they created an ideal of the British Royal Family.
This programme examines the legacy they built, a legacy that lives on in the way that
their eldest daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, rules today.
The man who would become King was born Prince Albert, the second son of King George
V. The prince was shy and crippled by a terrible stammer. His older brother Edward, heir
to the throne, was by comparison, charming, witty and adored by the Press and public.
The Prince married well, to the daughter of a Scottish aristocrat, and had two daughters,
Margaret and Elizabeth. This young family could so easily have become a sideline of Royal
history but events were about to overtake them.
The story of Edwards’s abdication from the throne is a well-known one. But it left Prince
Albert in a difficult position. Crippled with shyness, the idea of being so much in the
public eye terrified Albert, but he took his place on the throne anyway. Happy pictures
of the new Royal Family countered the bad news of World War II.
It can be said of some people that they had their time, a moment in history where they
excelled and made a difference. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth are good examples
of this. They were a good King and Queen but perhaps more importantly, they were the
right King and Queen for their time.
Includes: Additional bonus material of VE Day and a selection of speeches taken from
different periods of the Kings reign.