I adore finding original true colour footage of our lovely King George VI ❤️
There is so little available that I am always surprised to see his tanned skin (from spending so much time outdoors!) and the brightness of his ribbon medals.
Check out the way he just eyeballs the camera for a split second. You better look sharp and behave! Bertie’s always watching you…
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) at Malvern College, Worcestershire, in 1944. Source: The Imperial War Museum
Prince Albert & Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future King George VI & Queen Elizabeth) got engaged on this day in 1923.
“My dear Darling, I am just writing you a very little letter, I shall be thinking about you when you get this, & hoping that everything will go off wonderfully well. I am quite sure it will. Also, I might add that I do [underlined several times] love you Bertie, & feel certain that I shall more & more . I shall miss you terribly. You are such an Angel to me.” - Queen Elizabeth
“This is my first letter to you since you made me such a very happy person that Sunday at St Paul’s Walden & you don’t know what a wonderful difference it has made to me darling, in all ways. I think I must have always loved you darling but could never make you realise it without telling you actually that I did & thank God I told you at the right moment.” - King George VI
James Wilby & Sporting, Part Two:
1. Victoria (2016): shooting
2. Maurice (1987): cricket
3. Poirot (2008): snooker
4. An Ideal Husband (1999): golf
5. Shadows In The Sun (2009): biking
6. Bertie And Elizabeth (2002): shooting
7. Bertie And Elizabeth (2002): tennis
8. You, Me, And It (1993): rugby
9. Lady Godiva (2008): sword fighting
10. A Summer Story (1988): biking
In conversation with Hello!, James, 35, revealed that the pup will be called Bertie, the sweet family nickname for Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, whose first name was Albert.
"In light of recent events, I wanted a name that is a touching tribute to the late Queen," James explained.
The Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
‘…Then came Papa looking very beautiful in a crimson robe and the Cap of State.’
‘I thought it all very, very wonderful and I expect the Abbey did, too.’
‘The arches and beams at the top were covered with a sort of haze of wonder as Papa was crowned…’
‘When Mummy was crowned and all the peeresses put on their coronets it looked wonderful…’
‘At the end, the service got rather boring as it was all prayers. Grannie and I were looking to see how many more pages to the end, and we turned one more and then I pointed to the word at the bottom of the page and it said ‘Finis.’ We both smiled at each other and turned back to the service.’
Excerpts taken from 11–year-old Lilibet’s account of her father’s coronation ❤️
Bertie looks so very anxious in some of these clips 🥹
While the Duke and Duchess of York (the future King George V and Queen Mary) were away on a royal tour in 1901, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra commissioned an artist, Mrs. Gertrude Massey, to paint miniature portraits of their children, David, Bertie, Mary and Harry, as surprise gifts for them on their return. Mrs. Massey spent a lot of time with the children and got to know them well, and they became very fond of her.
In her memoir, Kings, Commoners and Me (1934), Massey described each of the children. She saw Prince Edward (David) as the "the most interesting" and Princess Mary as "the most mischievous".
As for little Bertie, she related a story of how one day he asked if he could draw her, "for a change", and she obliged him. As he drew, she observed "His face was so expressive, one could almost read his thoughts." His expression showed that he was pleased with his drawing, except for one thing.
"Would you mind if I don't give you any arms?'' he asked. "Arms are so difficult to draw."
Aw, Bertie!!! <3
I enjoy reading about these little moments throughout his life when Bertie's creative side would shyly show itself. I think he did have a creativity about him; he just didn't really get a lot of opportunity to explore it. Although he was never interested in fine arts and culture the way his younger brother the Duke of Kent was, I think he enjoyed designing and creating and was proud of these accomplishments in his humble way.
For instance, he loved landscape gardening, (once he wrote a letter in the "language of Rhododendrum"!). He did needlepoint, and created a set of 12 chair covers for Royal Lodge. He also designed the George Cross and George Medal himself. And of course there was his life long interest in photography and filming, which I can particularly relate to and understand. Even during his last Sandringham Christmas, King George designed trousers to be worn with the Order of the Garter robes instead of the traditional knee pants and Prince Philip photographed him wearing them. It has been repeated often that when he got interested in something, he was all in! That is the essence of a creative spirit, in my eyes.
What a sweet, sensitive soul.
Sources: Kings, Commoners and Me (1934) by Gertrude Massey; George and Elizabeth, A Royal Marriage (1983) by David Duff; Bonhams; The Royal Collection Trust
Song of the day: “Destroy Everything You Touch” by Ladytron.
Working on Ross Humboldt request. Hopefully it’ll get posted this or next werk.
On season six of The Walking Dead. Never thought I’d love a piece of zombie media as much as I love this show. It’s not exactly rewatchable, but it’s so hard to resist binging. But some things bother me:
Where are the vultures? I guess there are no maggots wriggling inside the walkers because they’d just eat them. But all those corpses and no scavengers?? (╯*□*)╯︵ ┻━┻ I
Where’s the homemade armor? If I were in the zombie apocalypse, I would dress like after Tweedledum and Tweedledee decided to do battle.
Why is the walkers’ style so drab? Look up any screenshot of a walker herd/horde. I understand why production would want to avoid logos, but why bland everything? If I was ever zombified, my only hope is that I would be less generic than everyone else. Also, if they’re going to shoot me, I want Carl Grimes to take the shot. Because Carl will put me down clean.
Just started watching The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy to fill the Tuca & Berta-shaped hole in my heart. Horsejack Boman wasn't doing that.
So far Drs. Klak and Plowp are my faves. Keke Palmer was great in Scream: Resurrection and Nope, plus she’s talked about being a member of the PCOSisterhood.
Klak is relatable, but I decided to ween myself off Lexapro. As an anxiety med, it worked great for years. Until I got cavities from dry mouth despite drinking water all the time and avoiding added sugar. Plus it was getting harder and harder to fall asleep.
Now I’ve made great strides with my mental health. It’s sunny enough for me to comfortably go outside. I’m going to the gym once a week, not just walking my dog only in the evenings and avoiding sitting. (Reading while standing in place on break worried my coworkers for some reason.)
Like it or not, the one who saved and modernized the monarchy was King George V, not king Edward VII, and this is an undisputed fact that all historians would agree with. After all, It was during the reign of King George V that 13 European Monarchies crumbled to the ground while the british monarchy survived. And it survived because of George V, because of his leadership, his modern statesmanship, his will to embrace and encourage changes, his popularity and the respect that his nation had for him, while he led his country to victory during WW1. He was the FIRST Monarch that brought monarchy close to people, hence why he was nicknamed the People's Monarch or the Citizen Monarch. George reigned during the most difficult times in the history of monarchy and of mankind, but he managed to save his monarchy and to modernize it, setting the path for a Constitutional Modern Monarch*. Your bias cannot change it, because facts dont give a damn about your opinions. A pity that you cannot uplift Edward VII without bringing George down. George wasnt dull, he was quite the character. He was genuine, funny, reproachable, a lover of books and cinema, and most importantly he was a SERIOUS LEADER, who acted exactly as a modern head of state is suppsed to act. Oh and he was a FAITHFUL Husband, he was devoted to his wife and loyal to her throughout their entire marriage. Something that can never be said of Edward VII who was unfaithful and over-indulgent in everything ( Im sure his mistresses would have preferred Handsome George though). If being faithful and family-oriented makes a man dull, than give me dull everyday. Queen Alexandra would've been happy to have married a man like George who never embarrassed and humiliated his wife
Oh my, where does this come from? lmao. Tbh, I deserve this kind of message when it's about Wilhelm. I'm totally biased regarding this rascally young fop (Alexander III said it first!). Badmouthing him is one of my favourite pastime. But George, come on! I never been too harsh with him? EXCEPT, perhaps, when it comes down to the Romanovs, but what can I say? When you don't have a backbone, you really don't…
Yet, I'm a tad puzzled by your message because we are talking about George V right? The one who in April 1905 hadn't seen his children for three months. The one who used to shout at his second son "Get it out" when the poor soul was suffering from stammer. The one who in 1917, while on a stroll in the grounds of Sandringham complained to Nora Wigram that his children always avoided him. Nora retelling this story in one of her letters to her parents said how Mary, David and Bertie became "quite cheerful & entirely flippant, writing their names in the snow" when George and Mary had gone home on said stroll. However, do you know who was ACTUALLY a good father? his cousin *whispering* Nicky.
Faithful yes but let me remind you that their marriage was far from smooth sailing. They lived seperately for months on end. You also must have forgotten the countless letters from George trying to apologise for shutting down, being rude or cold towards May. + May's letters complaining on how he would shut her out. The man was unable to articulate his feelings which led to endless misunderstanding. May who once wrote to George while in Paris : "I quite understand about yr not wishing to come to Paris & am not angry, I only thought it wd be nice change as I find life in general very dull- unless one has a change sometimes." She had wanted him to join her but had received a rebuff instead. May who wrote to his brother in 1900 while she was stuck in the gloomy York Cottage: "It is so dull here & I feel very low & depressed tho' Im pretty well on the whole" (alright she was pregnant at that time, but guess where George was?… out shooting birds).
Led his country to victory during WW1? Hmmm, you really mean George V who was described in 1918 by the Viscount Esher in those terms: "he seems virtually a recluse, steadily devoting himself to good purposes and little works of a good kind, but with not conspicuousness, no assertiveness of the King's position." / "making himself a nonentity" ? While May wrote on 19 november 1916 to her son David about the hospital visits: "They are "assomant" (tiresome) & I dislike them more than words can describe!" and then proceeded to explain how much she enjoyed her shopping trips at Goode's.
I'm teasing because OF COURSE I think George V was a good ruler and perhaps he was the kind of ruler the country needed at that time. He was a great arbitrator and was able to adapt and change despite having conservative views and being very much uneducated. How he dealt with the Irish question is a stellar example! He was an ordinary man who disliked society and suffered from bouts of depression. There is a sentence that struck me in Ridley's book which in my opinion sums up George : "He was a man of disconnected feelings".
I could write PAGES about Bertie's shortcomings and how his shenanigans damaged the monarchy. Yet he was a gifted ruler, very much in tune with his time.
So I guess anon, it comes down to... preference. If you are more into shooting birds and collecting stamps, you do you! I, on the contrary, have a soft spot for cosmopolitan kings with a string of scandals.
Now if you'd excuse me, I'm off painting the town red with Bertie!