HM King George VI - His Majesty's last Royal Christmas Message - 1951
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- King George VI delivers his last Christmas Message on 25 December 1951.
Transcript:
As I speak to you today I would like to wish you, wherever you may be, a happy Christmas. Though we live in hard and critical times Christmas is, and always will be, a time when we can and should count our blessings - the blessings of home, the blessings of happy family gatherings, and the blessing of the hopeful message of Christmas.
I myself have every cause for deep thankfulness, for not only - by the grace of God and through the faithful skill of my doctors, surgeons and nurses - have I come through my illness, but I have learned once again that it is in bad times that we value most highly the support and sympathy of our friends. From my peoples in these islands and in the British Commonwealth and Empire as well as from many other countries this support and sympathy has reached me and I thank you now from my heart. I trust that you yourselves realise how greatly your prayers and good wishes have helped and are helping me in my recovery.
It has been a great disappointment to the Queen and myself that we have been compelled to give up for the second time the tour which we had planned for next year. We were looking forward to meeting my peoples in their own homes and we realise that they will share our regret that this cannot be. I am very glad that our daughter, Princess Elizabeth with her husband will be able to visit these countries and I know that their welcome there will be as warm as that which awaited us.
You are most of you now sitting at home among your families, listening to me as I speak from mine. At Christmas we feel that the old simple things matter most. They do not change however much the world outside may seem to do so.
When we say that Christmas brings good cheer we do not only think of material things, we think more of the feelings of friendliness and comradeship we have one for the other; and I think that, among all the blessings which we may count today, the chief one is that we are a friendly people. We do not all think alike, of course. We are such a large family of nations that this would be difficult. We each have our own ideas, but we have come to learn that differences of opinion are not the same as quarrels.
I wonder if we realise just how precious this spirit of friendliness and kindness is. We are living in an age which is hard and cruel, and if there is anything that we can offer to the world today perhaps it is the example of tolerance and understanding that runs like a golden thread through the great and diverse family of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
I send a special message to all those who are far from their homes and families on this Christmas Day. There is nothing new in this; we are a home loving people. But during the war we all looked forward so anxiously to the times when we shoudl spend Christmas together at home, and now the troubles of the world are forcing so many of us to be away from our families and our own homes.
The Queen and I join with all those of our people who are thinking today of the asent ones from the family circle, some of whom may be serving in foreign lands. They may be the young men doing their National Service. They may be the officers and men of my fighting services and of the merchant services. I know that on Christmas Day they will be thinking of their families at home, and you will be thinking of them.
But especially we are all thinking of our friends and our sons and brothers who are now facing hardships and dangers in Malaya and Korea. A "band of brothers" drawn from all parts of my Dominions.
The Queen and I wish you all near and far a happy Christmas and a prosperous and peaceful New Year.
More recordings of HM George VI - • King George VI - Speec...
After His Majesty's passing, the Daily Mirror wrote: “This was by any standards, anywhere, a good man.”
He most certainly was.
I wonder if in 1952 there was someone who said after he died "there's no way any monarch can top what this man did as king." 🤣
The poor man didn't know he was dying. His wife, because he became easily stressed and worried over things, took the right decision to not let him know that he was dying. So his last few months were spent in the belief that he was going to live. It allowed him to experience a degree of happiness and avoid additional stress.
Feareireann yes must have been hard not to tell anybody....she was tough
He must have seen the writing on the wall. His decline in health was very similar to what his father and grandfather went through:
- His father, George V, suffered from constant breathing problems and infections in his last few years, before finally being euthanized.
- His grandfather, Edward VII, likewise suffered from breathing problems, plus various other issues, for several years before dying.
George VI, at the point in time when this recording was made, was in a worse state of health than either his father or his grandfather had ever been in. He'd already had several life-saving surgeries, including one to remove blood clots from his arteries. He was suffering from advanced lung cancer - a disease that even in 2022 most patients die from within five years. Just three months before this speech, he'd had his left lung surgically removed. And his heart was failing. He knew he wasn't going to get better; he knew he was living on borrowed time.
@@vulpesinculta3238 their breathing problems were because they were ALL heavy smokers.
The sad part was that he was a lot younger than his father and grandfather at the time of his death. He even sounds really old and frail here, and he was only 56.
@@vulpesinculta3238 Not exactly. He was making a good recovery (taking everything into consideration), the reason his voice sounds so stratined and hoarse in this recording is because during his surgery the left laringeal nerve had to be "sacrificed".
The doctors believed they had taken all of the cancer with his left lung, but they later realized it had probably already spread and he continued coughing blood even after the surgery.
This speech is by far, the saddest thing I ever heard, only 6 weeks after this broadcast, he died. Way too young. He did so much for British people, and could've done much more but unfortunately, the illness got him. He was the King during the hardest time, not only for Britain, but for the whole world. Brave man, very missed and my favorite monarch. My grandfather met him and talked to him in 1942. The story he told me at least 50 times, but I love it every time he tells me that.
Jeremy Bigart I would love to hear the story of your grandfather.
What did he die from?
The stress of the war had taken its toll on the King's health, made worse by his heavy smoking and subsequent development of lung cancer among other ailments, including arteriosclerosis and Buerger's disease. A planned tour of Australia and New Zealand was postponed after the King suffered an arterial blockage in his right leg, which threatened the loss of the leg and was treated with a right lumbar sympathectomy in March 1949.
His elder daughter Elizabeth, the heir presumptive, took on more royal duties as her father's health deteriorated. The delayed tour was re-organised, with Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, taking the place of the King and Queen. The King was well enough to open the Festival of Britain in May 1951, but on 23 September 1951, his left lung was removed by Clement Price Thomas after a malignant tumour was found. In October 1951, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh went on a month-long tour of Canada; the trip had been delayed for a week due to the King's illness. At the State Opening of Parliament in November, the King's speech from the throne was read for him by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Simonds. His Christmas broadcast of 1951 was recorded in sections, and then edited together.
On 31 January 1952, despite advice from those close to him, the King went to London Airport[b] to see off Princess Elizabeth, who was going on her tour of Australia via Kenya. On the morning of 6 February, George VI was found dead in bed at Sandringham House in Norfolk. He had died from a coronary thrombosis in his sleep at the age of 56. His daughter flew back to Britain from Kenya as Queen Elizabeth II.
From 9 February for two days his coffin rested in St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, before lying in state at Westminster Hall from 11 February. His funeral took place at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on the 15th. He was interred initially in the Royal Vault until he was transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside St. George's on 26 March 1969 In 2002, fifty years after his death, the remains of his widow, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the ashes of his younger daughter Princess Margaret, who both died that year, were interred in the chapel alongside him.
These facts courtesy of Wikipedia.
cancer.
Thierry Beurey thrombosis
Poor man. You can clearly tell by his voice that he is dying.
I was struck by the same thought the first time I heard it.
Jack Smith I thought so too. :( It's a sad thing to listen to.
+carocatho I if I had you any singing
Not really. Dying person's voices get very low. You can barely hear them.
He was such a good king
King George VI is more confident, you can barely detect he ever stammered, however, his voice indicates to us just how frail he was. He was a good King. God Save the last King-Emperor.
Pliam961 princess margaret spoke like him
Pliam961 His last Christmas speech was done in sections (then edited together) due to coughing and pauses/stammering were edited. His speeches that were filmed were also edited and/or done in sections as there were occasions where he would struggle/pause for an extended period. I had read that Winston Churchill (a man with a speech impediment himself) advised the king against pre-recording and editing his radio addresses as "His people's" found the King's difficulties endearingly genuine and original in comparison to the over polished, staged, perfectly choreographed monarchy of the past century.
It was edited. But yes he does seem confident in the tone of his voice!
Now we have another king
@@Axis.But not King-Emperor.
I love the king. It saddens me he had departed from the world so early. My favorite monarch, King George VI. The good and reluctant king.
Chris Janosz So do I.
Chris Janosz I do love him and admire him too.
I so agree also, I admire him along with his father, King George V. I got coins with both George V and George VI on them, great collectibles.
Yes🥺👏🏼💖
Why is he your favorite monarch? Just out of curiosity, no judgment.
A man of courage with an old-fashioned, but admirable, sense of duty. I think his daughter has inherited many of the same attributes.
So very sad that this wonderful man was to die 6 weeks later. May he rest in peace.
A great man and a great king. I am glad his daughter followed in his footsteps.
Imagine how we could have ended up if his Nazi sympathizer Brother remained on the throne...
Thrust into a position he was never destined for, plagued by speech problems and a generally quiet man. He was a magnificent king who helped us through the war.
Thank you my King. You were there for my Grandparents as you were for the Nation in it's darkest hour. A burden i could never imagine on my own shoulders.
Long live the King...
I think Britain wouldn't have been better of his brother remained king.
It's so odd that this Christmas, we will once again have the King's Speech.
It’s been the Queen’s Speech longer than it’s ever been the King’s Speech. That’s weird to think
To those wondering why the stutter was almost gone here, this speech was recorded in short parts and spliced together. The King only had one lung at this point, and was breathless speaking more than a few sentences with firmness.
He did sound a bit warbly near the beginning and I assumed that wasn't due to tape wear or age.
His wife lived till 101! She was possibly the only one in the royal family who could tell the best tale about George VI, and even at her great age as a centenarian she remained a symbol of resistance and resilience against the toughest and most difficult times.
Very well said. The Queen Mother was also the real star of all royal occasions. She was wonderful.
He seems so sincere and humble. He was dying but he got there and did the speech, ftw. God save the king.
Whilst I was too small to remember, my Mother had me in her lap to listen to this. God Save the King.
George VI was a great King, as well as George V.
We miss you our Sweet Father King George VI. Blessed and Wonderful King George VI. Kind Hearted King George VI. We miss you. 💕💕💕💕
God save the King! i almost started to cry:(
Helen Cooper God has at last, saved the final King-Emperor, George VI.
Deep and sincere Message though his Voice is very painful because It shows how his conditions were getting worse day by day , Rip George the VI❤🇬🇧
Rest in peace, Cousin Bertie. Know that you have gone down in history as George the Good.
alwellus wow that's cool that your really related to Bertie
evangeline douros No I don't think so, I think 'cousin' was just used as a warm expression in this case! 😉
He sounds absolutely terrible, but you know, here is a true hero. When called to serve his country as king, he didn't shirk his responsibilities or pass it onto the next brother. He did the best that he could, worked on his stuttering and kept going.
It wasn't the war that did him in; it was his pack-a-day cigarette habit.
@@vulpesinculta3238 I believe he smoked TWO packs a day--not one, and why do you think that was? Because he's looking out of his window at Hitler's bombs coming at him wondering if he's going to have to brush up on his German if the 3rd Reich wins the war and takes over his country. All that being said, I didn't mention the war once in my post nor his cigarette smoking. I just said he was a hero b/c he answered the call to duty when it came.
Now he shall spend another Christmas with he dear Elizabeth.
God bless him. Amazing to think his daughter, our Queen, after all these years, still sits on the throne he left her. And, we're still together, at home.
ian port George VI didn't leave our Queen the throne, if he had, had a son it would have gone to him, a Monarch can't leave the throne to anyone
we do have laws
@@lsmith9249 He actually did, in effect, leave the throne to Elizabeth, by his passing. Oh, not in the sense that he could have willed it to her as you assumed this post was referring to, but in that he "left" the throne, the work, to the one who would come next (i.e. "I'll leave it to the next one to carry on"). Some of us understand the laws but the use of the phrase "left her" didn't necessarily come from a technical "inheritance" use of the term, it could have been a colloquial phrase of continuing existence and one that he, in essence, left for her to pick up the mantle and carry on. No need to pick apart someone's nice sentiment and not even try to understand the heartfelt text in favor of having someone to correct.
@@jenniferlouiseday he did not leave it to her, there is a choice when you leave someone something, and he did not have a choice, when he became King
she became HEIR PRESUMPTIVE, if he then had a son, then that son would have gone ahead of her and as he didn't then by law, she was the next in line
and "leave what to the next one"
are you british?
@@lsmith9249 You seem bound and determined to only use the word "leave" or "left" as an inherited or "given of choice" thing. It's not. He "left" this world (died) and, therefore "left" the monarchy in her hands, as the heir to the throne. It's simple, without having to correct everyone who uses a word in one of its other and richer definitions. It doesn't matter what could have happened if there was a son. I understand the heir presumptive situation. That's not what we're only talking about here. He had no son. So in effect, he left the monarchy in her hands because she was next in line. If I leave a job, I leave the work to the next person who takes it, whether or not I choose them to replace me or not. Call it literary if you like, but there are other uses of the word "leave" and "left" without them being strictly the way you see it. They can mean to "go away" or "vacated" or "abandoned" or "transferred" as well as "to choose to give to," in just a very few of the well known and accepted examples/meanings. I read the original comment to mean that she picked up where he left off after he died. You apparently read it so you could correct the writer. You should have a better command of the English language and attempted to use context to understand what others are "trying" to say before you leap at the chance to prove you know more.
@@jenniferlouiseday If you LEAVE a job then that is your choice
and you need to learn how monarchy works
and l have a command of the English language
AND YOU'RE THE ONE TRYING TO PROVE THAT KNOW BEST
it was a very touching Christmas message rest in peace your majesty.
What a Man, what a Sovereign. With all his invaluable duty during the War, not only visiting his people after bombing raids but his, not widely known, visits to troops in North Africa and Malta during the height of hostilities. Enduring long difficult and dangerous flights from the UK. No wonder Churchill wrote on the card of his wreath in 1952, 'For Valour'.
He backed Churchill when others didn’t and had the foresight to see Churchill was our only hope. Things would have been very much different if his brother had remained on the throne. Thank you Mrs Simpson.
I can relate. December 25, 1951 (Christmas Day), was the last Christmas that my paternal grandfather spent on this earth. He was devastated by the sudden death of his wife (my grandmother) two months earlier. He left this world two months later (February 1952). From what I was told over the years, it was definitely of a broken heart.
So sad knowing he would be gone just over a month after 😭
What an amazing Man, long live The British Monarchy,
rest in peace his majesty the king and god bless our queen I am proud to be British
You should be proud. Look what "America" has now sunk to.
Richard Lawson Usa* , don't put all of us "americans" whit that horrible country.
@@richardlawson4317 Please don't put down the country that saved Britains ass. You only know what you hear in the LIBERAL MEDIA. You think Trump is some horrible dictator and he isnt like that at all. Im American and I live in The United States of America. I have the maturity level to have the respect for the UK that she deserves even tho Teresa May just about ran the whole country into the ground by opening the gates to every Tom, Dick and Harry who wanted to come and feed off the government programs. The Liberals in the States are basically doing the same thing. Want things only their way and if you disagree then youre labeled a racist homophobe..no matter what the subject was that you disagree on. Trump is trying to rid the Government of people like Joe Biden who fondle young girls, sniffing their hair and trying to move his hand over their breasts, Nancy Pelosi whose district in California is overrun with homelessness, drug addicts, trash, human piss and feces on the sidewalks, in peoples gardens, homeowners cant even walk out of their house without tripping over a homeless person asleep on their door step! And she wants to verbally assault Trump? Saying he's a dictator or hes stupid. Trump IS NOT stupid..not by any means. He isnt an eloquent speaker and he isnt politically correct and THAT IS A GOOD THING! This politically correct bullshit has created alot of the problems we have now. Liberals trying to make everyone believe there are more than the 2 sexes God created. California wanting to legalize pedophilia or even make it a sexual orientation. Obama tore our military apart. It was in worst shape since BEFORE WWII when he left office. Trump has built it back it. Trumo DOES NOT take a salary, but instead donates it quarterly to a different cause or charity. He isnt a politician which makes him better than the rest. We are tired if politicians. Biden for example, hes been in politics for 47yrs!!! Yet he claims he's going to do ALL of these things when he's president...the question is..why hasn't he already done them?? You dont have to be President to get anything done. WHAT HE WILL DO IS RAISE TAXES. HE WILL HAND US OVER TO CHINA. HE PUT RADICALS EVERYWHERE IN HIS CABINET. We have people (liberals) in the streets saying they're peacefully protesting..what theyre doing is looting stores then destroying and burning them down. Assaulting our police officers and the police aren't allowed to retaliate!!! The liberal law makers think this is ok. Some liberals want to do away with police altogether! Trump wants law and order restored.. like the rest of Conservatives. He wants immigrants to come here BUT COME HERE LEGALLY. Hes been trying to rid our government of corrupt politicians like Joe Biden who is the one that colluding with Ukraine to get his son a job!!!! The liberal politicians like Pelosi and Adam Schiff actually wrote the fake Russian dossier THEMSELVES!!!! So like I said..STOP LISTENING TO LIBERAL MEDIA. You only hear what they want you to hear. And they've accomplished alot of their agenda. But its going to stop one way or another.
My Aunt was one of the nurses during the kings surgery,and she got thank you letters from both Queens.I must look for them.
When was the surgery , for how long was his illness?
A great man and great king who rose to the challenge in England’s most desperate hour. God save King George VI
This king is an inspiration. This message had to be recorded bit by bit over many days because the king was very sick.
God Bless King George VI 🇬🇧
So better delivered than his first Christmas Broadcast. RIP Your Majesty
Because it was recorded bit by bit and put together
A much loved King.
I was 9 years old when I heard his first Christmas broadcast it was heartbreaking to hear him trying get the words out because of his speech problem,I clearly remember my mother and my two aunts with tears rolling down their faces.Those speeches were a part of our Christmas in those days. I am 93 now,my family of 9. Uncles aunts cousins are all gone.my world I grew up in has gone sadly.taken over by a phalanx’ of people who’s culture is not mine.my country is disintegrating slowly but surely. Politicians are the cause of this and the financial state we are in now.
This is a monarch of the UK of whom I have the greatest regard, even surpassing that of the current queen. He is also, beyond the doubt, the best looking King for at least the last four centuries! Above all, he was remarkable in many respects, whether one reads his biography by Bradford, Judder his official biographer John W Wheeler-Bennett.
James II was a handsome king, too. Otherwise, you would have to go back to the Plantagenets.
@@karldelavigne8134 The Last Catholic king of the United Kingdom. 😊
@@TyroneBeiron The United Kingdom did not exist in the 1680s. All monarchs subsequently have been Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.
@@karldelavigne8134 Yes, I confused the Union act of 1603 with the Act of Union of 1801. But James II was indeed the last Catholic king of Ireland, Scotland and England, by which you meant 'Roman Catholic'. He converted in 1669. The Act of Settlement of 1701 was what ended the possibility of Catholics being on the throne. The use of Roman as an adjective is a somewhat pejorative term, and properly the only Roman Catholics are those in the diocese of Rome. I understand your preferred usage though.
@@TyroneBeiron The United Kingdom was created by the Act of Union of 1707. James II was also King of France (by pretense), an irony as he went into exile in France. I have never considered Roman Catholic to be a pejorative term, but perhaps it is to anyone who never accepted the Reformation.
King George looked like a King. He had a special grace about him and left the world too early. They say the good die young.
Led Britain through the darkest of times and died too early to see it flourish once again. God rest his soul
God save the king!
A great king. He understood the concept of duty and monarchy.
This is, as for the smoothness of his words, incomparable with the speech from 1939!
God Save His Britannic Majesty! He learned, unlike his brother David, that his life belonged first and foremost to his people.
Hands down the greatest King England ever had.
A great man, died way to young. Listening to this sure makes you feel what he must of felt when he did this broadcast. Just imagine almost 6 weeks or so later he would die
It is so sad you can he was ill but he was always the one to keep fighting
Rest in peace your Majesty.
His stammer seems a lot less obvious. Clearly had such more confidence in his voice clearly. But at the same time it is so so sad to hear him suffering.
My grandfather remembered hearing this when it was first broadcasted.
Past away less than two months after. This recording was done in parts and edited together due to his difficulties. God bless that brave man!
It’s amazing how he spoke with such fluidity. One could never tell that he stuttered.
Wonderful gentleman, so sincere.
Majesty king George Vi. I am from India I know that you was and your Royal Kings and queen were so kind rulers.
poor man his end must have been unbearable as the drugs to alleviate his pain wasn't as great as what they are today. cancer has no mercy, be you commoner or King.
I feel so sad. He was a great king,may god rest his sole.
A truly decent man. God was with Britain with this King. His leadership during WW2 was extraordinary.
An absolute great men I have respect for him for his curiosity his great humor and his kindness ❤️ he was and still is a king of the world. Now he is finally joined with his whole beloved family 👪 I hope he is in joy love and peace together with his beloved wife and daughters. You not find another one like him he was truly one of I kind. Monarchie is important. I still believe in the good part. Never forget him and his family about what they truly are in the very beginning pure ❤️ but so sad that he suffered so badly 😢 he deserves a longer and more healthy life. So hard for Elizabeth so painful so devastating but now the are together again
Great King brave men I hope prince Charles and Prince William and Prince George become Great King like King George 6
A Great Man and a Great Leader of a Great Nation🙏
This is the accent of the 19th Century. Fascinating.
Jared Harris really nailed King George's voice!
Notice how he referred to "his people" and "his dominions". That was back when the Sovereign was like the head of a large family of people and nations, united under a single "father", so to speak, one man to unite under. If the Queen were to refer to her people as "her people" the maniacal PC crowd would have a fit. So many people fail to recognize the value and deeper meaning of the monarchy. It isn't about politics and it shouldn't be about petty gossip, it should be about one uniting figure. I wonder how many people in the UK and the Commonwealth realize how lucky they are to have ERII?
Because politicians are so uniting, honest, and apolitical. There is something to say for someone who has been raised for the job.
People can never be united under a leader of their own choosing. People should diversify themselves into different sects and ideologies. It's the strategic way of survival for human kind.
Nonsense.
There are other legitimacies outside the ballot box. We don't give the monarch the power to make policy or law but he or she acts - hugely more effectively than any elected party official - as a focus of pride, patriotism and unity. Not being elected is a positive advantage. Its worth remembering that the constitutional monarchies of Europe are - economically, socially and politically - among the most progressive nations in the world. The peoples of Norway, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Sweden etc etc…are sophisticated enough to appreciate the different but complimentary roles of the monarch and elected officials.
One might note that "elected" politicians only represent their financial backers and voters. I might also note that their are other "non-elected" positions, such as judges ministers/secretaries who are appointed, not elected. Should every public position be subject to elections?
Nob the Knave. History , at least 20th and 21st century history, shows otherwise. I think that just the fact of being born for the job of being monarch - although it was really his older brother in this case who was born for it but who selfishly abdicated placing his younger brother in a position he had not been trained for - and being brought up to serve the country from childhood instead of it being a situation where one is seeking power and asking for monetary contributions to gain it, is part of what makes a constitutional monarchy more special and noble in some ways than a Republic. One is born to particular duties - Prince, Duke, 👑 King, 👑 Queen, Earl etc and trained to do them and does not have to potentially become corrupted from seeking the position and raising money to obtain it. If one performs those duties nobly and honorably, as in the case of King George VI, it causes them to gain a great deal of spiritual maturity and nobility of character. All the less than noble activity involved in obtaining an exalted position in American politics certainly doesn't do that.
King George VI will be forever known as very good King of the United Kingdom, the British Empire and Commonwealth.
Definitely a message we need today. Tolerance and understanding. Do you know the difference between a disagreement and a quarrel. Wisdom beyond his years.
Extraordinary soul, and not by dint of Royal lineage, but by the sympathetic vibration, clearly evinced here, with all of God's creation.
May the peace of Christ be with The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Forfar and every other member in The Royal Family of The Commandant General of the Royal Marines.
Well done King George VI , what an accomplishment! He over came a terrible speech problem. If you first listen to his 39' Christmas speech then listen to this 51' Christmas address you can hear with your very own ears how much progress he made. Good on him
May God save the King, and happy Christmas early from Kentucky, USA to all!
He made this speech after his whole left lung was removed in an emergency surgery when a tumor was found. Don't smoke, kids.
In UK in the 1950s 80% of adults smoked.
Long live the king.
v nice speech
Prince Edward, earl of wessex look like HM King George VI
Yes, I agree! They look strikingly similar
I’m currently listening to the audiobook of The King’s Speech, the real story behind the wonderful film about the work Lionel Logue did to help the King with his stammer. The book has just referred to this speech and I had to listen. The first thing that strikes me is how much it flows compared to many of the King’s earlier speeches. You can hear the improvement in his speech. Gone are the long pauses and hesitations and he sounds much more confident. However, I think this speech is heartbreaking because you can hear in his voice, he’s clearly very unwell. It’s tragic to think that less than two months later he was dead, leaving his beloved eldest daughter on the throne. On balance I think it was probably the right decision not to tell the King he had lung cancer. If he’d been told I’m not sure he would have worried about the country, he would have known monarchy continues, but I think he would have worried about the Queen, later the Queen Mother, and the awesome responsibility being placed on the shoulders of his daughter.
Beautiful
So sad. This was my great grandfathers last Christmas and he was 39.
It’s sad to listen to This speech I think you can hear in his voice that King George Was an ill man
Damn his smoking addiction. He was only 56. The Queen outlived him by half a century.
He's got the right smoker's voice as you can tell
He wasn't a smoker he just had a lung cancer and one of his lungs removed
@@blockmore1 Oh right, I didn't know that at all
Yes, like his father before him.
@@blockmore1he is a smoker. And it became worst since he became a king and reigning while in WW2. Stress and pressure worsen his illness😢
This was filmed in several segments because the King was too ill to do it all in one take. He had half his left lung removed a few months before recording this.
What a great king who loved his subjects as they Loved him! He was a great blessing. In World War 2. Rallied. The British empire where ever they on battlefield preserving freedom. From tyrants like Hitler and the axis powers. Wanting to take away those who love freedom wherever they lived! It was so sad to hear. King George knowing that he was close to death ( no matter what people thought he knew it was just a short way off) ! Yet he still in grace and dignity. Never letting his subjects. How really sick he was! Rally. With a remarkable spirit that the Empire. Will and could overcome. All things! I also have a feeling that you The British Commonwealth. And Empire have another King in the wings his name is William I see it in William eyes and speech he also truly loves The Empire. And his future. Subjects just like his Great Grand father king George. VI ! GOD SAVE THE KING AND THE BRITISH PEOPLE AND THE COMONWEALTH!
lung cancer can be pretty painless for some with only a bit of discomfort but no suffering until the very last stage.
a bad one LC!!!
Poor him his voice so serious
I felt saddened listening to this. He does not sound well at all. Way to much smoking thanks to his speech therapist before Lionel Logue came along.
Wise; Don’t smoke! His stutter remained with him till he died. He fought that adversary and did not realize the one he was told helped “relax” him, gave him cancer.
IF EDWARD HADNT MET MRS SIMPSON IF EDWARD had stayed as KING what would’ve happened to this amazing gentleman and Elizabeth his daughter ... this message is nearly 70 YEARS OLD ... I’ve listened to his father’s Christmas message to that’s ON YOU TUBE 1935 before he died the year later 1936 ... wow
First time I've heard this. I had no idea just how ill he was. What was he struggling with?
Lung cancer.
It wasn’t a live broadcast. The King recorded it over two days. The final result after editing was slightly faster than he normally would normally speak in a speech.
Shocking decline of His Majesty The King.
The poor King lived to see his two grandchildren instead of six.
I noticed that his public speaking skills here had improved and improved without any stammer. But his voice here sounds that he's so sick because of his lung problem. Something which is a pity.
So haunting to listen to…
He was only 56. He sounded like 86.
Prince Edward is the picture of his grandfather. You can see it here.
He seems to stutter less in this last speech.
The War killed him prematurely.
It was smoking that killed him at 56
@@Anonymous-qw true.
I read that this had to be recorded in segments because the King was too ill to do it live.
he sounds like he is so sick the stress must have hit him up to badly
His stutter was almost gone when he died
Was King George VI informed that he was going to soon die? His daughter was off on a trip when he died. Even she wasn’t properly informed of his dire condition. Why?
I believe he was not informed as it would just stress him further and demoralise him, as he was already gravely ill
It’s sad what’s happening to the royal family, poor man