When she was only 25 years old, then-Princess Elizabeth received the worst imaginable news.
On February 6, 1952, she and her husband Prince Philip were staying at the Sagana game-viewing Lodge in Kenya when they learned of the death of her father, King George VI. He had been afflicted with lung cancer.
The couple had just been married for five years when their lives were forever altered.
The official announcement from Sandringham, where he died, read: “The King, who retired to bed in his normal good health last night, passed away quietly in his sleep early this morning.”
The royal couple returned home on February 7, and Winston Churchill was pictured greeting them at what was then the London Airport.
Queen Mary paid the first ceremonial respect by kissing her granddaughter’s hand that afternoon. The following day, February 8, Princess Elizabeth was officially crowned queen.
His funeral preparations were expedited.
On February 11, the King’s coffin was transported by rail from Sandringham to London, where it was received by the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the King’s mother, Queen Mary, who had arrived by vehicle.
In just three days, more than 300,000 mourners gathered to Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the king who guided Britain through the Second World War.
During the broadcast of the Westminster Hall proceedings, BBC presenter Richard Dimbleby observed, “A sleeping monarch has never been safer or better guarded, with golden illumination warming his resting spot and the muted footsteps of his devoted subjects keeping him company.”
On the day of George’s funeral, February 15, his coffin was covered in the royal standard and adorned with a crown, orb, and sceptre.
It then made its way to Paddington Station in a ceremonial televised parade. It was transported atop a gun carriage pulled by Royal Navy sailors, with the Queen, Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret among those who followed.
As the funeral procession passed through London, the bells of Big Ben tolled 56 times, each chime representing one year of the deceased king’s life.
Once at Paddington, the casket was transported to Windsor, where a brief service was held for the King in St. George’s Chapel, where monarchs have been interred for centuries.
When the funeral began at 2:00 p.m., the entire nation fell silent, and even passengers on a transatlantic trip to New York bowed their heads.
Television cameras were prohibited during the service, which was led by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, and the Archbishop of York, Cyril Garbett.
George was interred in the Royal Vault in St. George’s Chapel after the service. Elizabeth paid her ultimate respects to her father by placing a handful of earth from Frogmore in Windsor on his coffin.
The funeral of King George VI was held in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on February 15, 1952. Above: the new queen watches as her father’s casket is lowered into the royal vault.
Three days after the casket was placed in Westminster Hall, more than 300,000 mourners arrived to pay their respects, as shown on BBC television.
The line of people waiting to pass the coffin extended for kilometres. On London’s Embankment, a portion of the vast line of people can be seen in the image above.
The King ascended to the throne in December 1936 after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson. Above: King George VI in 1937 (left) and May 1951, eight months before to his passing
The visit to Kenya by Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip was part of a long-planned overseas trip that had been scheduled for the King. Due to his illness, the young couple traveled on his behalf.
The King ascended to the throne in December 1936 after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson.
As a wedding gift from the people of Kenya, the couple had been living at Sagana Lodge. They had been sleeping at the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare Forest the night before the King’s passing.
Back in the United Kingdom, the King was discovered by his valet at approximately 7:30 a.m., and his death was reported to Buckingham Palace by telephone under the codename “Hyde Park Corner.”
Due to their isolated position, it took a while for the princess to receive the news. It was initially told to Martin Charteris, the princess’s personal secretary, by a senior courtier. He then called Prince Philip’s assistant, who then informed Elizabeth.
According to a close aide, when Philip got the news of the King’s death, he appeared as if “you had dropped half the world on him.” But Elizabeth remained composed despite her anguish.
Lord Charteris, who served as her private secretary at the time, reported seeing the future queen seated at her desk in the Lodge shortly after receiving the news.
Her cheeks were slightly pink, but she did not drop any tears. She was prepared to assume the responsibility for which she had been meticulously trained.
The Queen was spotted looking crestfallen as she descended the steps of her jet at London Airport on February 7 after returning from Kenya. Winston Churchill met her upon arrival at the airport’s tarmac.
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, widow of King George VI, and Queen Mary at London King’s Cross railway station on February 11, 1952, awaiting the arrival of the special train carrying King George VI’s coffin from Sandringham.
The Accession Council named Her Majesty as the new monarch before Elizabeth returned to London.
Princess Elizabeth formally proclaimed herself Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, and Defender of the Faith at St James’s Palace the day after her return home.
Her official declaration stated, “Due to the untimely passing of my cherished father, I am obligated to assume the duties and obligations of sovereignty.
“My heart is too full for me to say more to you now, except that I will continue to work, as my father did during his reign, to promote the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, who are dispersed around the globe.”
The BBC televised the King’s burial procession from Westminster Hall, despite there being only 1.5 million televisions in a population of 50 million.
The majority of those who were unable to attend would have listened to the events on the radio.
In Westminster Hall, 305,806 people filed past his casket. People’s lines to pay their respects extended for kilometres.
On the day of his funeral, the Royal Family assembled at Westminster Hall, while millions waited outside on the streets.
On the day of his father’s funeral, his father King George V was also transported in the gun carriage that carried his remains.
On February 11, the King’s coffin was transported by rail from Sandringham to London, where it was received by the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the King’s mother, Queen Mary.
Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Windsor, and Duke of Kent in the procession as the King’s coffin is transported from the Palace Yard in Westminster to Paddington station.
On February 7, gunfire is observed in respect to the King. A 56-gun salute was fired, corresponding to the number of years he lived.
His Majesty’s coffin was carried through the streets of Windsor atop a gun carriage to its final resting place. On the casket are the symbols of Majesty: the wreath of the Queen Mother, the Imperial state crown, and the sceptre and orb.
The body of King George VI (1895 – 1952) is lying in state at Westminster Hall in London before being transported to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor for burial. The casket is protected by bee-eaters and horse guards.
The coffin of King George VI is accompanied by dozens of sailors as it passes through Marble Arch. Queen Elizabeth II watched the procession as it traveled to Paddington.
The streets are lined with tens of thousands of mourners as the King’s funeral procession passes by following his lying in state at Westminster Hall.
Near Marble Arch, the funeral procession turns into Edgward Road. Thousands of mourners observe a moment of silence
Queen Elizabeth II leaving the funeral train at Kings Cross Station after its arrival from Sandringham
The funeral procession of King George VI passes through London’s Parliament Square. On top of the gun carriage carrying the king’s coffin lays the Crown on the Royal Standard.
Royal Family members entering St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, with the King’s Company Grenadier Guards.
The Queen was among the royals and courtiers who accompanied the procession to Paddington.
At the time, the Daily Mail noted, “The mile-long procession wound along Whitehall and across Horse Guards Parade.”
The methodical march of the Guards, the mournful lament of the pipers, and the ultimate pity and loneliness of the casket with its solitary white wreath exemplified the abundance of misery and majesty.
“Many grieved as the Queen passed, her face veiled in black veils”
The farewell ceremony at St. George’s Chapel was also elaborately covered in the article.
It stated, “One moment it appeared the King was with us, and the next he was gone.” His draped casket slowly descended on its purple-draped bier beneath the chancel floor of St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it disappeared from view.
In the Daily Mail’s coverage of the King’s death, the monarch’s final journey from Westminster Hall to Windsor’s St George’s Chapel through Paddington station was described in minute detail.
Our new monarch, Queen Elizabeth, had taken the flag of the King’s Company, the Grenadier Guards, and placed it on the end of the coffin a minute before.
Then, as her father’s dead remains dropped into the purple coffin, she stepped forward and sprinkled earth over the casket.
It continued, ‘At that time, it appeared that this petite, slender person, who had endured ten days of great nervous strain with remarkable serenity, was dedicated and set apart.
“In that instant, the young Queen, bidding a mute farewell to her father and predecessor on the Throne, joined the long and majestic list of those who have worn the Crown,”
After the funeral at Windsor, over 2,000 individuals were permitted to view the wreaths that blanketed the lawns.