In 1936, her husband unexpectedly became King when her brother-in-law, Edward VIII, abdicated because he wanted to marry an American lady, Wallis Simpson, who had been divorced. The king was known as King George VI. As his wife, she had the title of Queen Consort. She went with her husband on official tours to France and North America. During World War II, she supported the British public with great courage. After the war the king became ill and died in 1952. She was then 51, and she lived for another 50 years. As the mother of the queen, grandmother to the queen's four children and, later, great-grandmother, she continued to be a popular member of the royal family.