Dear Editor:

February 6 marks the official beginning of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (celebrating 60 years as Queen of Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, etc.). It is also a sad day as it marks the anniversary of the death of the much-loved King George VI.

The Queen’s father was never meant to be king, ascending the throne after the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, in 1936. George VI was a brilliant constitutional monarch during one of the darkest periods in Commonwealth history (1936-1952). In fact, it was his hard work during the Second World War that many believe led to his early death at the age of 56.

All the biographies and personal stories that remain of the king emphasize that he was a good man – a loving husband and caring father.

King George VI is a very important Canadian figure. When he was crowned in 1936, the King pledged separately to govern Canada according to its distinct laws and customs (highlighting that Canada was an independent state no longer linked to a “British Crown,” made official by the Statute of Westminster in 1931).

It was as King of Canada that George VI toured this country in 1939, also visiting the United States with his Canadian prime minister (Mackenzie King) as principal advisor. His Majesty gave Royal Assent during this tour, and accepted the credentials of the American Ambassador. Together with his indomitable wife, Queen Elizabeth, the King united Canada as we prepared to plunge into the dark days of the Second World War.

While the Canadian Crown is an ancient institution that stretches back to the very beginnings of a European presence on this continent, it was King George VI who first embodied the idea of a separate Canadian monarch on these shores. It was as King of Canada that George VI proclaimed a common Canadian citizenship in 1947 and issuing the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General the same year (authorizing the King’s representative in Canada to exercise most of the Sovereign’s powers).

Queen Elizabeth II is her father’s legacy – a constant in a world of rapid change. She was crowned less than 10 years after the Second World War, so that the history – including Canadian history (43 per cent since Confederation) – Her Majesty has encompassed is staggering. February 6 is a reflective day for the Queen, but with it comes the truth that her father lives on in the remarkable reign of his daughter.

Nathan Tidridge, history teacher
Waterdown District High School