List of titles and honours of George VI

George VI received numerous decorations and honorary appointments, both during and before his time as monarch of the United Kingdom and the dominions. Of those listed below; where two dates are shown, the first indicates the date of receiving the award or title, and the second indicates the date of its loss or renunciation.

George VI in 1938

Titles, styles, and honours

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A foundation plaque at Manchester Town Hall records the titles of George VI as King-Emperor
Styles of
King George VI
 
Reference styleHis Majesty
Spoken styleYour Majesty

Titles and styles

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George VI was from birth a Prince of the United Kingdom, and was subsequently created a royal duke. It was as a duke that he succeeded his brother, King Edward VIII, to the throne.

  • 14 December 1895 – 28 May 1898: His Highness Prince Albert of York
  • 28 May 1898 – 22 January 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of York
  • 22 January 1901 – 9 November 1901: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Cornwall and York
  • 9 November 1901 – 6 May 1910: His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Wales
  • 6 May 1910 – 3 June 1920: His Royal Highness The Prince Albert[1]
  • 3 June 1920 – 11 December 1936: His Royal Highness The Duke of York
  • 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952: His Majesty The King

Titles vested in the Crown

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Certain titles are borne and held by the reigning sovereign.

  Isle of Man
  • 11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952: His Majesty The King, Lord of Mann
  Church of England

Other titles traditionally attributed to the reigning sovereign are Duke of Lancaster, to reflect that the Duchy of Lancaster is a private estate of the sovereign,[2][a] and Duke of Normandy in the sovereign's capacity as head of state of the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey.[4][b]

Titles held personally

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George VI has held certain titles in a personal capacity, either by virtue of birth, or otherwise.

  House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Commonwealth of Nations

Title in the dominions and India

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The Dominions were self-governing entities which had the as their respective head of state the same person as was the British sovereign.[12][13] These Dominions typically used the style and title of the sovereign as proclaimed in the United Kingdom, which, from the reign of Edward VII came to include the phrase, “and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas”,[d] signifying their reign over said Dominions.[15] However, the sovereign reigned in these Dominions in a capacity independent from their position as monarch of the United Kingdom, similar in meaning and usage to, but not the same as modern-day Commonwealth realms, in that they lacked a separate title for each Dominion, until the reign of Elizabeth II. George VI's reign in the Dominions does not completely match his reign in the United Kingdom and his role as monarch in the Irish Free State is debated.[16]

Per the terms of the Indian Independence Act, the imperial title was to be abolished. However, George VI issued a royal proclamation for that purpose and to that effect only on 22 June 1948, effectively reigning as king in the newly created Dominions of India and Pakistan whilst still bearing the imperial title for himself and his consort.[17]

The title of Kaisar-i-Hind was coined in 1876 by the orientalist G. W. Leitner as the imperial title for the sovereign[18] and was also employed in an official capacity, most notably to denote Crown property in India.[19] This title continues to persist as a placeholder to the modern day in official records dating to the British era, despite the prohibition and deprecation of the use of the said title and all its variants for any and all purposes.[20] Its usage is to be so understood as to denote the Government of India per the relevant provisions of the Government Grants Act,[21] read alongside and in the context of the Transfer of Property Act and the Repealing and Amending (Second) Act.[22][23]

Military ranks

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Flag Date Rank Branch Ref
  Australia
  2 June 1938 Admiral of the Fleet Royal Australian Navy [24]
  Field Marshal Australian Army
  Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Air Force
  United Kingdom
  15 May 1916 Sub-Lieutenant Royal Navy [25]
  29 December 1918 Temporary Captain and Staff Officer (3rd Class, Air) Royal Air Force [26]
1 August 1919 Flight Lieutenant [27]
1 November 1919 Squadron Leader [28]
  31 December 1920 Commander Royal Navy [29]
  1 June 1920 Wing Commander Royal Air Force [30]
30 June 1921 Group Captain [31]
  3 June 1932 Rear Admiral Royal Navy [32]
  Major General British Army
  Air Vice-Marshal Royal Air Force
  1 January 1936 Vice Admiral Royal Navy [33]
  Lieutenant General British Army
  Air Marshal Royal Air Force
  21 January 1936 Admiral Royal Navy [34]
  General British Army
  11 December 1936 Admiral of the Fleet Royal Navy [35]
  Field Marshal British Army [36]
  Marshal of the Royal Air Force Royal Air Force
  8 October 1948 Captain General Royal Marines Royal Marines

Orders and decorations

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British

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Orders of Chivalry

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Campaign Medals

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Coronation/Jubilee medals

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Foreign

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Appointments

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Decorations

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Undress ribbons

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The undress ribbons worn by George VI in undress uniform were as follows:[40]

     
       
       
       
       
       
Order of the Bath Order of the Star of India Order of St Michael and St George
Order of the Indian Empire Royal Victorian Order Order of the British Empire 1914–15 Star
British War Medal Victory Medal with

Mention in Despatches

1939-1945 Star Italy Star
France and Germany Star Defence Medal War Medal 1939-1945 Queen Victoria Diamond

Jubilee Medal

King Edward VII Coronation

Medal

King George V Coronation

Medal

King George V Silver

Jubilee Medal

Norwegan War Cross
Greek Cross of Valour American European–African–Middle

Eastern Campaign Medal

Croix de Guerre 1939–1945

with bronze palm

Russian Imperial Order of

Saint Prince Vladimir

Honorary appointments

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Civil

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Privy Counsellor

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Freedom of the City

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Honorary degrees

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Honorific eponyms

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A number of geographical features, roads, and institutions are named after George VI. These include King George Hospital in London; King George VI Reservoir in Surrey, United Kingdom; King George Highway and King George Boulevard in Surrey, British Columbia; Kingsway in Edmonton; George VI Sound in Antarctica; and the King George VI Chase, a horse race in the United Kingdom.

The fourth future Dreadnought-class submarine will be named as HMS King George VI.[71]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The legal basis for the sovereign’s use of the title has been disputed. George VI’s father, George V was given legal advice that it was “extremely unlikely” that he was, in fact, the Duke of Lancaster.[3]
  2. ^ There is no basis in law for the title[5] and the legal basis of the monarch’s sovereignty is as successor to the Dukes of Normandy.[6] Jersey and Guernsey and the other Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy when the Duke of Normandy was also the king of England.[4] Under the Treaty of Paris (1259) the king of England renounced his claims to the Duchy but retained possession of the islands.[7]
  3. ^ George VI held his German titles by virtue of being a descendant of the Prince Consort. All German degrees, styles, dignities, titles, honors, and appellations were renounced on 17 July 1917 by George V for himself, his descendants, and all other descendants of Queen Victoria. An amendment to the House laws of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha barred any descendant of a member of the ducal house who was in 1917 a national of a country which waged war against the German Empire from succeeding to the ducal throne, effectively removing any remote succession rights that the British royalty still held by virtue of the partial renunciation by Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.[citation needed]
  4. ^ Later dropped in its entirety in favour of “and of Her other Realms and Territories” during the reign of Elizabeth II.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "No. 28401". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 26 July 1910. p. 5485.
  2. ^ "Duchy of Lancaster". Lancaster Castle. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  3. ^ Hibbert, Christopher; Weinreb, Ben; Keay, John; Keay, Julia (9 September 2011). The London Encyclopaedia (3rd ed.). Pan Macmillan. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-230-73878-2.
  4. ^ a b "Crown Dependencies". The Royal Family. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  5. ^ Matthews, Paul (June 1999). "Lé Rouai, Nouot' Duc". Jersey Legal Information Board. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011.
  6. ^ Alder, John (2013). Constitutional and Administrative Law. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-137-05000-7.
  7. ^ Patourel, John F. Le (1984). Feudal Empires. A&C Black. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-8264-3810-2.
  8. ^ "SCG – UNITED KINGDOM". Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ Archives, The National (17 July 2017). "The National Archives – Wettin to Windsor: changing the royal name". The National Archives blog. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  10. ^ London Declaration (PDF), Commonwealth Secretariat, 1949, archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2012, retrieved 29 July 2013
  11. ^ "How we are run". The Commonwealth. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  12. ^ Inter-Imperial Relations Committee Report, Proceedings and Memoranda (PDF). His Britannic Majesty’s Government. 1926. pp. 2–6.
  13. ^ Statute of Westminster, 1931 (PDF). England: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. pp. 1–3.
  14. ^ "Page 3023 | Supplement 39873, 26 May 1953 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Page 7137 | Issue 27372, 5 November 1901 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  16. ^ McMahon, Deirdre (1984). Republicans and imperialists : Anglo-Irish relations in the 1930s. Internet Archive. New Haven : Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-03071-6.
  17. ^ "Page 153 | Issue 1408, 18 June 1948 | Belfast Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  18. ^ B.S. Cohn, "Representing Authority in Victorian India", in E. Hobsbawm and T. Ranger (eds.), The Invention of Tradition (1983), 165–209, esp. 201-2.
  19. ^ "Naresh Kumar vs The State Of Jharkhand on 8 December, 2020". Indian Kanoon. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
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  22. ^ "The Transfer of Property Act, 1882".
  23. ^ "The Repealing and Amending (Second) Act, 2017". 5 January 2018.
  24. ^ "No. 84". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. 2 June 1938. p. 1651.
  25. ^ "No. 29583". The London Gazette. 16 May 1916. p. 4852.
  26. ^ "No. 31131". The London Gazette. 17 January 1919. p. 906.
  27. ^ "No. 31486". The London Gazette. 1 August 1919. p. 9867.
  28. ^ "No. 31663". The London Gazette. 28 November 1919. p. 14703.
  29. ^ "No. 32178". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1921. p. 10.
  30. ^ "No. 31929". The London Gazette. 4 June 1920. p. 6189.
  31. ^ "No. 32376". The London Gazette. 1 July 1921. p. 5245.
  32. ^ "No. 33831". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1932. p. 3582.
  33. ^ "No. 34238". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1935. p. 15.
  34. ^ "No. 34256". The London Gazette. 18 February 1936. p. 1057.
  35. ^ "No. 34351". The London Gazette. 18 December 1936. p. 8186.
  36. ^ "No. 34351". The London Gazette. 11 December 1936. p. 8187.
  37. ^ "No. 32819". The London Gazette. 1 May 1923. p. 3135.
  38. ^ "No. 34265". The London Gazette. 17 March 1936. p. 1738.
  39. ^ "No. 32178". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 1 January 1921. p. 8.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i j https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30108577
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  42. ^ "No. 30227". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 11 August 1917. p. 8208.
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  45. ^ Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1944) [1st pub.:1801]. Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1944 [State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1944] (PDF). Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. p. 17. Retrieved 16 September 2019 – via da:DIS Danmark.
  46. ^ "Ordinul Carol I" [Order of Carol I]. Familia Regală a României (in Romanian). Bucharest. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021.
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  48. ^ "The Equestrian Order of San Marino". Consulate of the Republic of San Marino to the UK. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
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  51. ^ "Banda da Grã-Cruz das Três Ordens: Jorge VI (Rei do Reino Unido, da Grã-Bretanha, Irlanda e dos Territórios Britânicos e Imperador das Índias)" (in Portuguese), Arquivo Histórico da Presidência da República. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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